Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

A chick flick for chicks of all ages, "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" tells of four Louisiana ladies who establish their secret Ya-Ya sisterhood, bound by blood and oath and honor, at a young age and who remain friends over the years providing each other with friendship and support. The film's thin storyline is about one such "sister" (Burstyn/Judd) who has issues with her adult daughter (Bullock) and her sister Ya-Ya's who come to her rescue much to her dismay. What ensues is a warmly funny kind of jambalaya which makes up for its gaping plotholes with personality, charm, and rambunciousness as it stumbles through it story finally arriving gasping and wheezing at its feel good conclusion. Gagging material for grinches, most will find the "Ya-Yas" are just too damned much fun not to like on some level. (B)

What a shame!!! This is the worst excuse for an adaptation of a novel I have ever seen. Nothing is explained about Siddalee, Shep, Vivi, the Ya-Yas, the younger siblings, Buggy, etc. No one will understand fully the anguish that the children went through as children or the anguish that Vivi went through in her own childhood. Shortcuts were taken left and right in this film, much to the detriment of the storyline. For instance, Shep is not a living saint, Vivi did not simply beat her children because of dexamyl, Teensy's mother is barely mentioned, Vivi's stay at the boarding school was left out, and where is Aunt Jezie, grownup Lulu, Little Shep, and Baylor? I realize that it was a two hour film, but an adaptation should never have been attempted if it wasn't going to be done faithfully. Everything in this film was explained away too easily. Sidda needed much more than a sob story about her mother's loss and use of dexamyl to explain her behavior. Too easy, too simple, too cheesy. No one could possibly come away with a clear understanding and resolution of the plot.

My recommendation: SKIP IT and read the fabulous books this was supposedly based on: Little Altars Everywhere and The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya sisterhood.

"Sisterhood" is a film that will make you laugh, cry, and remember the most important things in life, like friendship, family, truth, and relationships with those around you. It takes many trips down the path of life and is filled with laughter, sorrow, drama, but all around triumph. Maybe not exactly the same as Rebecca Wells great book, but pretty close.

After all the hype and comparisons to 'Steel Magnolias', 'Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood', sadly, did not do much box office, which was a shame, as it is a more intimate, realistic vision of women and life-long friendships than the glossier 'Magnolias'.

Four girl friends in Louisiana create a secret sisterhood in 1937, swearing eternal devotion to each other, and they remain best friends through all the triumphs and tragedies in their lives. When the daughter of one of them (Sandra Bullock), a successful playright, has an interview with Time magazine in which she condemns her mother's impact on her life, the mother (Ellen Burstyn, who is superb!) goes ballistic, cutting the daughter out of her life, totally. In charges the other members of the Sisterhood, kidnapping Bullock, and attempting to make things right!

The film then jumps back and forth in time, with Ashley Judd playing the younger Burstyn. She has a lot of happy adventures with her Ya-Ya sisters, but also has to deal with racism, a jealous religious zealot of a mother, an overly loving father (David Rasche, breaking free of his usual comic roles), a true love who dies in WWII, and a family with a guy she 'settles' for (played, in present day, by the wonderful James Garner). There is also a dark secret that is the core of the mother/daughter alienation, which must be dealt with in order for the rift between Bullock and Burstyn to heal (No, I will NOT give it away!)

If you do the math about the years covered, you realize the present-day story SHOULD be taking place in the seventies, at the latest, but this doesn't hurt the overall effectiveness of the picture. As the other present-day sisters, Fionnula Flanagan, Shirley Knight, and (especially) Maggie Smith are WONDERFUL, as is Angus MacFadyen, as Bullock's sympathetic and likable fiance.

While this is unabashedly a 'chick flick', something I really liked was that they DIDN'T fall back on that old chestnut of somebody dying to serve as a convenient catalyst for change and the healing process. And the dialog is full of wickedly hilarious one-liners about men, alcohol, friendship, and growing old!

Don't miss this gem!

This film is really a celebration of female relationships between; mothers and daughters, between girl friends and between wife and husband. There are numerous flash backs, but the film flows at a good pace that it is not a distraction at all.

The storyline is very light hearted to begin with, but gets darker. Ashley Judd does a great performance as an Alcohol addicted mother and Ellen Burstyn is also good as the older character, played by Ashley Judd. The humour is funny enough and does not go overboard. See this film with your girl friends, and make sure you bring a box of Kleenex with you. A two thumbs up.