Steel Magnolias (Julia Roberts)

It’s nearly ten years since we watched the film ‘Steel Magnolias’, and we had both forgotten what it was about. However my husband remembered the first scene as soon as we saw it: a man shooting birds out of a tree while preparations for a large wedding are going on around him. I had no memory of that, but as the film progressed I recalled the climax to the story, and also quickly grasped the general theme.

It’s good that I remembered roughly what was going on, as I had a very hard time, at first, tuning into the strong accents from the American South. Julia Roberts is the main character, Shelby. She’s quite young (this film was made in 1989) and it’s her wedding that’s going to happen the following day. We quickly learn that she and her fiancé Jackson (Dylan McDermott) have had an argument and she said she wouldn’t marry him. But they make up… although she clearly has some reservations.

However Shelby’s mother M’Lynn (Sally Field) is, in my view, the star of this film. We first see her fussing about everything being perfect for the wedding, and then being overprotective of her daughter. But then gradually we discover why. She has an extremely expressive face, and while I didn’t agree with everything she said or did, I could empathise with her strongly - all the more towards the end, during and after the climax of the film. I had forgotten when this occurred, and what situation prompted it, but knew how it ended.

M’Lynn and Shelby live in a small town where everyone knows everyone else. And the theme of the story is the strong supportive nature of these people, particularly six very different women (with names so strange that I didn’t know what they were until I looked up the cast list on iMDB to check for the actors). Dolly Parton is superb as Truvy, the town’s hairdresser and beautician. She gossips, and flirts, but feels things deeply and is very caring.

We meet her near the start of the film interviewing a young and nervous girl called Annelle (Daryl Hannah) who desperately needs a job. Annelle is a bit of a strange character and had the accent that was most difficult to understand. I never entirely believed in her.

The other two main characters are two older women: Clairee (Olympia Dukakis) and Ouiser (Shirley Maclaine). These two have a love-hate relationship and provide a lot of the comedy in the film. Ouiser is grumpy most of the time (often with reason) and Clairee likes to stir…

The main story, which begins with the day before Shelby and Jackson’s wedding, takes place over the course of a little over a year. Emotions run high at times, but are interspersed with plenty of light relief and a great deal of warmth. Yet there’s a depth to this film and the incident towards the end, which shocked me the first time I saw it, seemed inevitable this time. And it’s very well done, as is the aftermath.

All in all, we thought it a well-made film, a better than average ‘rom com’. The rating is PG; there are some sex references but nothing explicit, and no violence - even the bird-shooting is done with blanks. I don’t recall much ‘strong’ language although there are plenty of mild expletives. However it’s unlikely to appeal to anyone below the age of about twelve.

According to one of the 'extras', this film was inspired by a true story.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

Gifted (Mckenna Grace)

Sometimes I see a review or recommendation of a film, and know it’s one I’m going to like. I added the 2017 film ‘Gifted’ to my wishlist some months ago, and was delighted to receive it for my recent birthday.

The star of this film is seven-year-old Mary, perfectly cast by Mckenna Grace, who was nine. She’s sweet and feisty at the same time, her timing is impeccable, her range of emotions is excellent. Her subtly expressive face made us smile, even laugh aloud once or twice.

Mary is an extremely gifted child who has been brought up and educated by Frank (Chris Evans - also perfect for the part). But as the film starts, she’s about to start first grade at a local elementary school. Frank wants Mary to make friends, and to think of herself as normal. She is very reluctant, and on her first day distinguishes herself by her astonishing mathematical ability.

Thankfully Mary’s teacher Bonnie (Jenny Slate) recognises that she has a very gifted child in her class rather than seeing her student as being rude or obnoxious. But Frank is unwilling to have Mary enrolled in a school for gifted children. We learn that Mary’s mother was also supremely intelligent but something of a social outcast, and very unhappy, and Frank doesn’t want that.

Into the mixture comes Evelyn, Mary’s grandmother, who wants Mary to be pushed, to ‘reach her potential’. Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) is elegant, narcissistic and unprincipled, and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. She is beautifully contrasted with Roberta (Octavia Spencer) who is Frank’s landlady, and also Mary’s best friend. Roberta wants what is best for Mary, and loves spending time with her.

So there are legal battles and emotional scenes. Through the film there is the continual question of whether it’s better for this delightful child to pursue her evident talents, to the exclusion of everything else, or attempt some semblance of normality. That’s exacerbated by the fact that she finds it hard to get along with other children, preferring adult company, and loving complex maths concepts and problems.

The acting is so good and the script so believable that we were very quickly drawn into this film, wondering at times if it was based on a true story (apparently not). We were rooting for Frank, appalled and yet impressed at Evelyn. Although she is evidently self-centred, and cares little for Mary as a person, she can - at face value - offer her a much better life.

There are boats, and a one-eyed cat; there’s some humour, and some delightful scenes with Roberta. There’s a love interest for Frank, but it’s quite low-key and never really resolved. There are also some highly-charged scenes between Frank and Evelyn, and between Mary and Frank, moving us almost to tears at times.

The rating is 12, which seems about right despite the main character being a seven-year-old girl. There are a few instances of ‘strong’ language, and an implied bedroom scene, although nothing explicit. But the emotional impact of the story could be stressful for a younger child, as could the theme of a custody battle of this kind.

There are some extras - short scenes with the cast, which give interesting insights into the making of this film, and also some deleted scenes. We could see why most were deleted, but they were all well done and added a little to the story.

Overall, we both thought ‘Gifted’ an absolutely wonderful film, and would recommend it highly to any adults or teenagers who like this kind of light-hearted yet deep heartwarming drama.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews