Three generations of a very estranged family gather together for the patriarch's funeral, which if I were a member of, would probably skip without apologies or an explanation. Don't let the surface friendliness of the characters in this clan fool you. They are all completely nuts.
Matriarch Meryl Street makes Violet's Voice, which is basically pill addiction, and only mourning her husband for a minute before going on the attack. She's basically run daughter Julia Roberts off (by Robert's obvious choice), and it is ultra difficult for Roberts to return. The funeral is followed by a memorial dinner that makes a visit with George and Martha a day at the beach.
The always powerful Streep adds another classic portrayal to her dozens of magnificent roles. Violet is a woman filled with anger and bitterness towards her three children, and it's obviously isn't grief talking. Secrets are revealed, old hurts are raised, yet biscuits with gravy are consumed without one being thrown.
Among the others in this amazing ensemble are Margo Martindale as Streep's loyal but sometimes bluntly obnoxious sister, Chuck Cooper as her quietly suffering husband, and Juliette Lewis as the wild, party girl baby in the family. All eyes are on Streep however, as it was for me on Broadway when I saw Estelle Parsons in the role.
Smartly edited by over an hour, this may not have been as fast moving as the play was. Tracy Letts wrote the best drama we've seen on stage in decades, and as my tagline says, Outstanding theater may make you weep. The movie may not have had the same effect, but I never was bored, that's for sure.
Matriarch Meryl Street makes Violet's Voice, which is basically pill addiction, and only mourning her husband for a minute before going on the attack. She's basically run daughter Julia Roberts off (by Robert's obvious choice), and it is ultra difficult for Roberts to return. The funeral is followed by a memorial dinner that makes a visit with George and Martha a day at the beach.
The always powerful Streep adds another classic portrayal to her dozens of magnificent roles. Violet is a woman filled with anger and bitterness towards her three children, and it's obviously isn't grief talking. Secrets are revealed, old hurts are raised, yet biscuits with gravy are consumed without one being thrown.
Among the others in this amazing ensemble are Margo Martindale as Streep's loyal but sometimes bluntly obnoxious sister, Chuck Cooper as her quietly suffering husband, and Juliette Lewis as the wild, party girl baby in the family. All eyes are on Streep however, as it was for me on Broadway when I saw Estelle Parsons in the role.
Smartly edited by over an hour, this may not have been as fast moving as the play was. Tracy Letts wrote the best drama we've seen on stage in decades, and as my tagline says, Outstanding theater may make you weep. The movie may not have had the same effect, but I never was bored, that's for sure.