August: Osage County

We’ve all had some family gatherings which were awkward and uncomfortable. I’d like to think, however, that some of my family gatherings are a tremendous amount of fun – cousins meeting after ages, reliving memories, howling with laughter at some of the funnier ones, endless debates and discussions with people whose frequencies match perfectly. After watching August: Osage County, though, I’m beginning to think my family gatherings are the stuff of dreams. The family in August: Osage County, especially matriarch Violet Weston played by Meryl Streep, is horrendous. Everyone spews abuse at everyone else, and the outsiders – the men who’re married to or thinking of marrying or separating from – the strong-willed women of the Weston family are bewildered at what’s going on and why people just can’t get along. The strongest aspect of the movie is its fine ensemble cast, and some of its lines are hilarious, but there’s not much else going on. 

Here’s a roll call of its ensemble:

Meryl Streep as Violet Weston – vicious, volatile, bent on wreaking as much havoc on her family as possible. Streep plays Violet with glorious abandon. Violet is remarkably intelligent and alert – nothing slips past her, as she keeps saying – but unfortunately, her keen sense of observation and her sharp wit are used mostly to verbally beat her family into submission. She addles herself with drugs, smokes despite having mouth cancer – but the real cancer is the violent, savage way she rips into the people surrounding her. She also has the tendency to suddenly throw them off their guard by slipping into self-pitying mode, but you’ll soon discover that’s only the lull before the storm. The dinner the family shares is an excellent study of Violet, especially her eyes as they zero in on her victim before letting loose a barrage of zingers. On an aside, I couldn’t help but think that I’m going to turn into Violet Weston when I’m old. :O

Julia Roberts as oldest daughter Barbara Weston – it’s an indication of how morbid the movie is, when you consider that Roberts’ trademark wide smile is missing in the entire movie. She’s the only one who can give Violet a fight – and what a fight! – and takes charge of the family reeling under assault. She comes with a lot of baggage – a grudging resentment of her mother, anger at herself and her husband for their disintegrating marriage, her sisters for demanding too much of her. There’s no difference between her and Violet, one of her sisters accuses, and when you think about it, this seems to be true. Violet’s behavior may be attributed to her cruel mother, and she has damaged her daughters. Barbara has a fourteen year old daughter growing up, and she has a task ahead of her to ensure her daughter doesn’t end up damaged as well. 

Margo Martindale as Mattie Fae, Violet’s sister – on first meeting her, she seems more toned down and, though loud, mostly harmless. But we discover she can be just as viciously hurtful towards her son, Little Charlie, and is the central player in one of the family’s more grisly skeletons in the closet.

Julianne Nicholson and Juliette Lewis as the middle and youngest sisters Ivy and Karen – the Jane and Lydia Bennet of the family. Ivy stays behind ostensibly to care for her parents when none of her sisters will, and Karen is the trashy, flighty youngest who has a string of undesirable beaux and is largely ignored by her mother.

Its a closely knit gathering of foul mouthed, often vicious, always volatile women, among whom the men seem bewildered and helpless. Sam Shepard is Violet’s husband who commits suicide after a brief introductory monologue, Ewan McGregor is Barbara’s estranged husband, Dermot Mulroney is Karen’s latest rake, Chris Cooper is Mattie Fae’s generous-hearted and mild husband, and Benedict Cumberbatch is Little Charlie, brow beaten by his mother, quietly in love with Ivy, and the hapless cause of the family’s eventual unraveling.

Written first for the stage, they’re all strong, unique characters – fully fleshed out and larger than life. The movie lets the formidable cast showcase their range, but ultimately seems overtly staged and claustrophobic. What happens around the table at a unhappy family dinner in the close confines of a house may be great for a play, but does not translate well to a movie. Its probably a good thing that the screenplay is written by the same hand that wrote the play, which is why perhaps the characters translate well, but the director was obviously out of his depth. I think Meryl Streep probably took control on set and in Violet mode, told the director not to bother the family with instructions. After all, he was just another perplexed man in the orbit of the Weston women.

My Rating: 2/5