a Weston Family Reunion
Violet Weston (Meryl Streep) is a difficult woman to get along with in no part to the fact she has mouth cancer and so pops a lot of pills. In the end she becomes too much for her husband who can't take anymore of her bitterness. It is why their children Ivy, Karen and Barbara along with her Violet's sister Mattie arrive at the family home with their partners in toe and their children as well. But with all the Weston women under the same roof tensions fly and secrets come out whilst their men do the best to keep the peace.
A family reunion movie with lashings of bile. That is possibly the best way to describe "August: Osage County" as it follows the formula which many a reunion does with an event bringing the entire family back home and with this being a drama that event is something serious rather than the more comical Christmas get together. But as is the case with other reunion movies secrets come out, ill feelings rise to the surface and I think each and every person shouts at another at some point.
So the question is what makes "August: Osage County" such a highly praised movie? Well some might say the star power as even the small roles have someone famous in them. But truth be told it isn't the names it is the ability of those names and when you have Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts let rip at each other it is captivating because it is so alive, so real to the point you imagine that whilst they may have read through the lines together they never rehearsed it, they just went with what feels right. And thank goodness that the acting is so good because what actually goes on in "August: Osage County" is for me not that entertaining or engaging.
What this all boils down to is that I get a feeling that "August: Osage County" was made with a certain demographic in mind which I am not part of which is why I found it not that entertaining. But even though the movie wasn't for me the acting through out was of a very high calibre and it is the acting which makes this movie and keeps those like me who are struggling to keep watching.
