I segreti di Osage County

It amazes me how you can watch a movie in one period of life, then rewatch it in a fifferent period of life and catch new things. This movie does that, which makes it timeless. I must say, big Sam Shephard fan, so obviously I'm going to like it a little. NOT a Meryl Streep fan but she killed it in this movie.. Julia Roberts, just WOW. I'm not sure if she was nominated but she should have won an Oscar for that performance. It requires an understanding of that kind of life in order to appreciate the movie. Don't listen to critics that have never left the city. They know nothing about the pain this movie seeks to explain.

It's Osage County, Oklahoma. Violet Weston (Meryl Streep) has quite a mouth and the mouth cancer to go with it. She's crass, addicted to painkillers, and the bitter matriarch of the dysfunctional family. Her youngest daughter Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) is still close by dutifully helping out but easily dismissed by Violet. Her sister Mattie Fae Aiken (Margo Martindale) keeps sticking around with her husband Charlie (Chris Cooper). Favorite oldest daughter Barbara (Julia Roberts) has returned with her separated husband Bill Fordham (Ewan McGregor) and daughter Jean (Abigail Breslin). Violet's husband Beverly (Sam Shepard) has enough of the her difficulties and walks off. He is found drowned and the family gathers for the funeral. The middle daughter Karen (Juliette Lewis) returns with new fiancé Steve Huberbrecht (Dermot Mulroney). Little Charles Aiken (Benedict Cumberbatch) is the loser son of Mattie Fae and Charlie who overslept for the funeral.

There are a lot of great actors doing Oscar caliber work. The best thing director John Wells does is to point the camera and let these actors work. Meryl Streep is the master, and there is no way to describe her work with justice. Julia Roberts kept up with her and that is high praise for any actor. Every person in the cast deliver some of their best work. Writer Tracy Letts' play is all the same tone. That is the movie's biggest drawback. It is all vile and all bitterness. It is the same tone over and over again. It is overkill without any letup. I just enjoyed it for the performances.

I actually enjoyed this movie version better than the way over-praised stage play it is based on. Saw the play at the National Theatre with most of the original New York cast and found it obvious and sit-com my. Oddly the film which by the way has lost all the laughs the play engendered, presents a much more serious and grim portrait. Meryl the magnificent is not so magnificent in this though she at times grasps the inner feeling of the mother. Unfortunately, she also tends to go way over the top a few too many times. Julia Roberts has been directed in a more angry and vindictive manner than the original Tony winning actress I saw on stage. I always love Julia but this is not her most pleasant role. The humor has been left on the stage and not made its way to the screen. At least the film avoids the glib, "oh, look at me, I am so clever" feeling of the play.

Before I even start to talk about John Wells' new film "August: Osage County," I have to say I've never seen the stage play or read it by writer Tracy Letts. Following the screening, I felt it was important to disclose. An all-star cast is assembled, all which have individual moments to shine, which is surprising with a cast this size, and for the most part, the film succeeds on multiple levels. Sure to be divisive, "August: Osage County" is tenacious and beautifully constructed. Soulful and unafraid to show the gritty and ugly of the American family, Wells' film is utterly compelling. A must-see for the awards season. An instant Oscar contender.

From the top to the bottom, this film exists and succeeds by its performances. At the top of the heap and best in show is the stunning and beautiful Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts. Her turn as Barbara Weston is in the top three performances she's ever delivered. Roberts dives into herself in a way we haven't seen since "Erin Brockovich." The narrative fully turns on her character and in the final half of the film, she pulls the train through to the station. I'm incredibly impressed with her work. Roberts is a revelation and reminds the world how good she really is. A sure-fire Oscar contender.

As Violet Weston, a role played by Deanna Dunagan on Broadway, there were high expectations to see what 3-time Academy Award Winner Meryl Streep would bring to the role. For the past few years, I've begged for Streep to "dirty it up" and play a role like this. A drug-addicted matriarch who a gutter mouth lets Streep give a fresh take on a character. Her performance is middle of the road for what Streep has delivered in her career. That can mean different things to different people. Middle of the road for Streep could be the best of any actor. I walked out of the theater feeling the same way I felt following the end credits of "Doubt." Streep excels in many areas of acting, but I feel when it comes to stage adaptations to the big screen, Streep doesn't live in the character as comfortably as she would in any other role. There are times that the role does go a bit over-the-top. That being said, Streep is still plenty great as she's been in other roles as of late. She inhabits lots of Violet's beats and mannerisms and gives dynamite exchange with some of her co-stars. It's a performance that will surely land her another Best Actress nomination.

Trying to pick any of the supporting characters to single out is like trying to pick your favorite child. Margo Martindale as Mattie Fae is ballsy and spunky and its good to see an actor of her caliber finally getting a chance to rip into a role like this. Her character reveals the film's darkest secret which gives her an edge over some of her co- stars, which Wells directs masterfully with DP Adriano Goldman.

I could eat Benedict Cumberbatch up with a spoon. As "Little Charles," he definitely has the narrative's most sympathetic story but more importantly, in a film that is full of despicable people, he manages to pull the audience in to root for him, even when you know he's doing something terribly wrong.

I've longed for Juliette Lewis to get back in Oscar's graces following her nomination over twenty years ago in Martin Scorsese's "Cape Fear." She as dynamic as we've seen her in the last few years, delivering her best turn yet as Karen. A true professional. Ewan McGregor continues to elevate himself as one of our finest actors working today as Bill, Barbara's estranged husband. As someone who is on the opposite side of the rational spectrum when compared the Weston ladies, McGregor stands out as a positive take. Unfortunately, he only gets one scene to really let loose in a memorable manner.

I can recall being floored by the work of Julianne Nicholson in the little indie that no one saw, "Flannel Pajamas" nearly seven years ago. I've never fully revisited her work since despite stints on "Conviction" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." As Ivy, the one sister that stayed behind, Nicholson embraces her natural and simplistic mannerisms that give her role a much-needed arc in the narrative. In a perfect world, we would be looking at Julianne Nicholson for serious Oscar consideration.

Brief but all too clear as perfection, Sam Shepard ignites his brief screen time as Beverly Weston, the patriarch of our family. Same could be said for Misty Upham as Johnna, our Native American housekeeper sitting as a silent observer.

Academy Award winner Chris Cooper shines when he takes on sensitive and accessible performances. With a tough exterior but a soft and loving emotional center, Cooper acts as an sentimental pillar to our tale. If there is room for a man in an Oscar lineup from a film dominated by women, he is likely it.

Director John Wells has a strong hold on the material. He understands where he wants the narrative to go, putting an emphasis on the story and letting any directorial styles take a backseat. It's definitely appreciated in a story that has so many moving parts. Writer Tracy Letts adapts his own play and in the second half really stretches out his legs as the story takes shape for certain characters. The first thirty minutes are rough. The dialogue isn't as quick as snapping your finger. Some monologues run a little long and there are a pair of instances where I checked out of the story for a moment.

The Weinstein Company have quite a gem on their hands. Lots of heart and laughs, "August: Osage County" has the year's best cast ensembles and is one of the year's best films.

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I saw the Broadway production with Estelle Parsons (Violet); John Cullum (Beverly); and Elizabeth Ashley (Mattie Fae) in 2008. I had read the play prior so I knew the surprises but it didn't take away from the play. The film does justice to the story even with forty minutes edited out of time. The film casting here is perfect but I wonder what the original cast would have added to the film adaptation. While Meryl and Julia earned their nominations, I felt that Deanna Dunagan and Amy Morton deserved their chance on the big screen as Violet and Barbara. Margo Martindale did a fine job as Mattie Fae but Rondi Reed would have been the original. While the film stays true to the story, Meryl is believable as the toxic Violet Weston. Julia Roberts has matured as an actress and can stand in a scene with Streep or anybody else. The film and stage version is not for immature audiences as the writer touches on sensitive subjects. The stage production featured a three story set where it can be difficult for a community theater. The film doesn't need to worry about that issue. The film moves through at a good pace but you wonder about what happened to the family after.