Customer Reviews

Steel Magnolias (Special Edition)

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The person who reviewed the movie giving it 2 or 3 stars and claiming not to believe the story is true can be assured that indeed, the story of Shelby in Steel Magnolias in true. Shelby is based upon the story of Robert Harling's sister Susan Harling Robinson and was written in remberance of her for her son who was 2 years old at the time of her death in 1986 due to complication of diabetes and a kidney transplant (from her mother) which ultimately failed.

She and her brother Robert attended the exact same university that I now attend: Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. She was a member of Phi Mu Kappa Iota Sorority (The second oldest in the nation) and WAS indeed a nurse. For whatever sad reason, Susan decides to have a child ("I would rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."... one of her famous last words) even though doctor's warn her against this and she ultimately loses her life. The sad facts of life is that her son Robert will never know his mother. The movie is definitely worth watching and I say this not because of the "famous cast," but because it shows that, hey, life is short and sometimes we make choices that cost us dearly. Susan died a very young woman and left behind a husband, son, mother and family forever bereft of her presence. Her brother said (of the script) that he wrote it in 10 days not long after her death because he was angry that she was dead. He later wanted it so that his nephew would remember his mother.

Wynona Ryder was originally offered the role of Shelby/Susan, but was considered too young. Julia Robert's was a wonderful choice and definitely not someone I would consider "horsey faced." If she is "horsey faced," she makes one d*** good salary being so ugly.

This movie is wonderful for its simple story of life, enhanced by a rare combination of heavyweight talent. The characters seem to jump off the screen because they are so homey and natural, and the deep philosophical thought into which so many movies of this type sink is almost completely absent, leaving something readily understandable and enjoyable that allows you to laugh or cry freely.

It is unusual for so many famous stars to appear in one film. Julia Roberts is listed after many of the other names, though today she is one of the most popular and highly paid actors in the world. Sally Field plays Julia Roberts' fretful mother, always concerned about her daughter, but a balanced concern. Julia is the marginally rebellious daughter, who thinks her mother fusses too much over her, wanting her mother to let her lead her own life.

Much of the interaction in this movie takes place between Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacLaine, Darryl Hannah and Sally Field. The women gossip, criticize each other and support each other, the kind of love and friendship that seems to exist more often in smaller communities. Dolly Parton is outgoing and friendly, as is Olympia Dukakis. Shirley MacLaine is noisy and complains about everything, figuring that being old and wealthy allows her the right to complain. Darryl Hannah is a very religious frumpy young woman with (gasp!) a past, though her past seems mild to many of us. These women support each other and provide advice, but also an outlet for their wishes and hopes and problems. They also often like to talk about each other, though in a way they try hard to be polite and supportive when they can.

Some of the funniest scenes involve Tom Skerritt as Sally Field's husband Drum. Tom seems to have a way of doing things that provide at least smiles, and a bit of eye rolling on occasion. Tom is funniest when he interacts with Shirley MacLaine. Tom seems to enjoy tormenting Shirley and Shirley enjoys griping back at Tom. While on one level it appears that the two dislike each other, the viewer also must recognize that they could have avoided each other and yet do not, so surely they must get some enjoyment out of the encounters.

The central character throughout the movie is Julia Roberts. We discover early in the movie that she suffers from diabetes, and the effects are often severe. The tension between Julia and Sally Field as Julia's symptoms and problems increase, and the tension with the rest of the women in the movie, increases during the movie, awaiting release. The movie alternates between laughter and pain until near the ending that has its sad moments, but ends relatively happily as the true lesson of the movie is finally revealed.

Stories of real life are often boring or are hard to comprehend because of lack of a common background. This story of real life has enough caricature to be funny enough to keep your attention, while being sufficiently rooted in life to allow you to feel like this life could have been yours, your parents, or your grandparents.

Some of the subject matter in this film makes it unsuitable for young members of the family. (...) However, I think this excellent film should be suitable for older children and all other family members.

I'm usually worried when I hear that Hollywood is going to make a movie out of some great book or play. So many have been botched in the process and few have been made better. My current fear is what they'll do to "A Confederacy of Dunces" or "The Bark of the Dogwood" when those books go into script form. But for some reason, seeing "Steel Magnolias" when I did in New York all these many years ago, I had no fear. The play lends itself expertly to a movie script (This is actually a good thing), and of course, the cast they chose was/is stellar. This is one of my favorite all-time movies and if you're not moved by it, please, get yourself to an emergency room so they can check your pulse.

Steel Magnolias is a movie that is timeless. You cannot beat it. I know I am in a minority in saying that it is better than Terms of Endearment and Fried Green Tomatoes but in my opinion it really is. The love between the characters is more real and heartfelt and isn't as dismal to watch as in the previous two films. The acting is awesome, as well as the score and plot. The movie will rip your heart out. I highly reccomend it.

I was very excited to receive Steel Magnolias, as it is a family favourite. Upon watching it for the first time I became embarrassed to learn that the movie that I had ordered, and given as a gift, had no sound what so ever. Quite disappointing.

I loved this movie. Prepare to laugh but bring your kleenex, because you'll need it, and then you'll smile again. As the movie says, "life goes on"...

The movie is packed full of well-known actresses and actors (Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley McClaine, Daryl Hannah, Dolly Parton, Skerrit, Olympia Dukakis, and more) who are magnificent.

The movie starts with the preparations for the wedding of Sally Field and Tom Skerrit's daughter, Julia Roberts. And then you have all the friends and acquaintances who are involved. There is the beauty parlor where all the gossip takes place, and where friendships are made. It is funny, sad and completely absorbing. Julia's diabetis is a big concern for everyone especially since she decided to have a child and it is something that is very hazardous to her health.

I loved Shirley McClaine, who is an outspoken woman, and her friend Olympia Dukakis. Dolly Parton, who owns the beauty shop, and Daryl Hannah who is befriended by Dolly and the others and who has a past that they were all curious about. It is a story that could take place in just about any town, but it took special talent to put it together to make it so wonderful. It has everything-comedy, drama, and sadness, all put together harmoniously.

I think this is a movie that everyone will like. I highly recommend it. Enjoy!

I just love this movie. It's a tear-jerker but the message behind this tale about simple women in a small southern town is very uplifting. Each character is one that most can relate to. Sally Field does an awesome job in this film. By the end of the movie you feel like you're a part of this circle of friends bound by gossip, family and love.

In 1989, audiences were treated to an all-star cast in the film "Steel Magnolias", which follows the lives of several women who are all friends in a small Louisiana town. The film was directed by Herbert Ross (1927-2001), who directed "The Goodbye Girl" (1977) and "The Turning Point" (1977, for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Director). It was written by Robert Harding, who had originally written "Steel Magnolias" as a play and also adapted Olivia Goldsmith's novel into the screenplay for "The First Wives Club" (1996).

The story begins with a young woman, Annelle Dupuy (Daryl Hannah), who is new to the Lousiana town and planning to work as a beautician for Truvy Jones (Dolly Parton), whose husband Spud Jones (Sam Shepard) is an often out-of-work contractor. Impressed with her abilities, Truvy hires Annelle and they receive their first customers of the day: the wealthy widow Clairee Belcher (Olympia Dukakis), the responsible mother M'Lynn Eatenton (Sally Field), her engaged daughter Shelby (Julia Roberts) and the eccentric/antisocial divorcee Ouiser Boudreaux (Shirley MacLaine). Since one of the activities that most of the ladies enjoy doing is gossiping, when Ouiser begins to interrogate Annelle about her life, everyone is all ears as Annelle explains her troubled marriage and vanished husband. Shelby then invites Annelle to come to her wedding, which Annelle does and meets a man who becomes very interested in her: Sammy Desoto (Kevin J. O'Connor). Shelby's new husband is Jackson Latcherie (Dylan McDermott), and her outspoken father, Drum Eatenton (Tom Skerritt), often enjoys teasing Ouiser about her aging dog. Shelby suffers from diabetes, but is determined to live as much of a normal life as possible, even when it comes into conflict with M'Lynn's concerns for her health.

With its witty script, wonderful story and engaging characters, "Steel Magnolias" is a very entertaining and emotional film. Julia Roberts received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, but disappointingly, Sally Field was not nominated for Best Actress for her exceptional performance, especially during the very emotional funeral scene. Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacLaine and Daryl Hannah performed superbly in their roles, and Dolly Parton was very well casted for her role as Truvy and did an excellent job. Memorable scenes in the film include the opening scenes at Truvy's beauty salon, Shelby's wedding, the Christmas fair, Shelby revealing her pregnancy, other scenes at Truvy's, Annelle's wedding shower, M'Lynn at the hospital, the funeral scene and the closing Easter scenes. Overall, I rate "Steel Magnolias" with 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it on widescreen DVD.

As already mentioned here a number of times, yes, it reeks of a chick flick. But on the simple metric of number of one-liners per minute, I simply cannot think of a better comical powerhouse! The script to this movie is an example for screenwriters.

The hilarious star-studden ensemble is set in southern US, a small Louisiana town. The camaraderie is contagious and nostalgic, and the life of the characters so identifiable you'll be involved with the film immediately. There's almost several subthemes, each character has a peccadillo to share.

But the main focus of the film is the relationship between Sally Field and Julia Roberts, a domineering mother and her strong-willed but physically weak daughter respectively, the latter also plagued with diabetes. And there is a lot of time spent on Daryl Hannah's strange character development as well as the film covers a year or two via holidays.

To me, that is what most undermines the film -- I would much rather have seen more time spent on Parton and MacLaine, and even Dukakis, whose lives, in the brief glimpses we are given, seem much more interesting, and whose characters are by far much more alive and vibrant. Their barbs and quips are a compelling reason alone to watch this movie again and again!

At any rate, this is a movie you should definitely watch if you haven't already, and if you have, watch it again. What a wonderful slice of life, drama and delectable humor!

This is a story based on the lives of six women that revolves around a beauty salon, Truvy's Beauty Shop. The title of this film is Steel Magnolias; it was released in 1989 and has a running time of 119 minutes. This film has many great award winning actresses including Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts.

The setting for this movie starts with a young woman walking down the street and running into a house that is preparing for a wedding and then wandering farther to find the beauty shop, Truvy's, where she will be employed. Suddenly the beauty shop is filled with people getting ready for the wedding that she witnessed earlier that wedding is Shelby's, Julia Roberts and then Shelby has in insulin attack. She has severe diabetes and her doctor has told her some very sad news right before she gets married. Her mother M'lynn, Sally Field, is taking the news better than most would think.

There are many twists and turns once the wedding has taken place, some of them are sad and some are joyous. This is the type of friendship that most women dream about. Each woman is affected in different ways by each storyline. This film is one of the better films I have seen in recent years it has really touched me.