Starring: Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Julianne Nicholson
Following the disappearance of poet Beverly Weston (Sam Shepherd) his daughter (Roberts) travels to her childhood home in Osage County, Oklahoma to comfort drug-addled, cancer-stricken and sharp-tongued matriarch Violet (Streep). The discovery of Beverly's lifeless body brings the family together after his funeral and some home truths come to roost.
Written by Tracy Letts and based on her acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winning stage play, August: Osage County is, unsurprisingly, well-written and a cast featuring more stars than a clear night sky but given all that the film promises, it's only a partial success in delivering the goods. The film's been promoted towards looking like a cynical but ultimately life-affirming comedy, which belies the fact that in reality, August: Osage County is a much darker and sever film than advertised, but when the film does try and go for warmth, it robs the film of dramatic intensity leaving the weight of the film to be ultimately underwhelming.
That's not to say that the film doesn't have assets. With such a strong cast, the performances are by and large, very impressive. Meryl Streep ambles about like a strung-out ageing Scarlett O'Hara, Sam Shepherd (for all of his brief time on screen) is an engaging presence and Julia Roberts does well, even if the role is no real radical departure and whilst Ewan McGregor does a good job as Roberts' bemused husband, he feels out of place. The film looks great, with crisp cinematography and detailed set design showing off some real attention aside from this being an actor and script driven piece. Ultimately, August: Osage County is worth a viewing for cast and its brilliantly paced and observational writing, but this is not a film set to blaze a new trail.
Next time. Oscar Isaac plays an early-60's Greenwich Village folk singer desperately searching for a break in the latest film from Ethan and Joel Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis.
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