Final Film Critique - Steel Magnolias (Movie Review Sample)

Steel Magnolias Film Critique Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Date Steel Magnolias Film Critique Introduction Steel Magnolias is an American comedy movie released in the year 1987. Robert Harling is the original writer of the movie. It was directed by Herbert Ross. The film is storyline entails a group of few women in a small town southern community that shares a bond. At some point, they happen to be believed by one of their own. The story in the film is Robert Haling real life experience. He had lost his sister Susan Harling Robinson in the year 1985. Susan had been suffering from diabetes before her death. In the film, Robert changed her sister’s name from Susan to Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie. From the story arc of the movie, one could easily conclude that the principal female actors in the film could be as tough as steel or as delicate as the magnolia flower. The movie can be described as a series of comic one-liners that lead up to a teary tragedy although yet in most cases the one-liners are funny, and the drama deserves only a significant part of the tears CITATION Rob85 \l 2057 (Harling, 1985). Contextual information The setting of the movie is said to have taken place in Louisiana in the 1980s. As we have earlier introduced, the film entails a group of a few ladies who are tightly bonded and whose husbands are absent (possibly depressed or dead) leaving them with a lot of time for gossiping at the beauty salon. Through the film, gossip is what the ladies do best. This is evident as even one of them appropriates Alice Roosevelt Longworth's immortal line that if she has something wrong to say about anyone, then she is allowed to sit right beside her. The women tend to treasure someone who has got the past. The major characters in the movie are as follows: 1 Sally Field- a social worker who is married to Drum Eaten. She is a mother to Tommy, Jonathan, and Shelby; a mother-in-law to Jackson and a maternal grandmother to Jack Jr. 2 Dolly Parton -married to Spud James; she is a beautician and a mother to Louie; town gossip. 3 Shirley Maclaine- she is a friend to Clairee Belcher and a neighbour to Eatenton family; town miser and brings about the downfall of Drum Eatenton’s. 4 Daryl Hannah -she is new in town, a beautician hired by Truvy Jones; she was divorced by Bunkie Dupuy before being married by Sammy Desoto. 5 Olympia Dukakis -the previous first lady and a sister to Drew Marmillion; a friend to Ouiser Boudreaux, the Joneses, and Eatentons. A sister-in-law to Belle Marmillion and a to aunt to Nancy and Marshall 6 Julia Roberts - the first born and only daughter of drum; sister to Tommy and Jonathan; she gets married to Jackson Latcherie; a mother to Jack; she suffers from diabetes. 7 Tom Skerritt-married to M'Lynn Eatenton; he is a father to Shelby, Tommy, and Jonathan; a father-in-law to Jackson Latcherie and a maternal grandfather to Jack Jr. 8 Sam Shepard-he is unemployed; married to Truvy Jones and father to Louie. 9 Dylan McDermott-he is a lawyer and married to Shelby Eatenton; son -in-law to Drum and M'Lynn and a brother-in-law to Tommy and Jonathan. 10 Kevin O’Connor-eventual husband to Annelle Dupuy. They met at Shelby’s wedding reception. Bill McCutcheon- he is an ex-boyfriend to Ouiser Boudreaux, who returned to town. Ann Wedgeworth- aunt to Jackson Latcherie; he is well known for baking animal shaped cakes. Knowl Johnson- first born son to M’Lynn and Drum; he is the middle child in the family; a sibling to Jonathan and Shelby; a brother-in-law to Jackson and uncle to Jack Jr. Jonathan Ward-second son to Drum and M’Lynn and the last born in the family. Ronald Young- brother to Clairee Belcher; husband to Belle; father to Nancy Beth and Marshall. Bibi Besch- she is the mother to and Nancy and Marshall. Sister-in-law to Clairee Belcher. Janine Turner-sister to Marshall and niece to Clairee Belcher. James Wlcek-son to Drew and Belle; a nephew to Clairee Belcher; he shocks everybody by the allegations that he make that about his parents being gay. Tom Hodges-he is a rebellious son to Truvy and Jones. C. Houser-he is a son of Jackson and Shelby; grandson to Drum and M'Lynn; a nephew to Jonathan Daniel Camp- brother to C. Houser and thus grandson to Drum. The movie tries to explain the real experience that the family and friends went through after the writer’s sister passed away in 1985 from diabetic complications. His sister died after his namesake nephew had been born and the failure of donated kidney by a family member. The movie was released in America on the 15th of November in 1989 by the Tri-Star Pictures. It grossed approximately 84 million views at the box office. At first, Harling first produced a screenplay before adapting the original well-written movie script. The scenes are increased in numbers as the sequence got more linked to major holidays than the play. The growth of female characters that were beyond the original led to dialogue changes among the on-screen characters. Plot Annelle, a graduate, is employed in Truvy Jones beauty salon to Work as the beautician. The lounge was located northwest of Louisiana. Concurrently, in the neighbourhood M'Lynn Eatenton and Shelby (her daughter) are preparing for Shelby's wedding that supposed to take place later in the day. Clairee Belcher arrives readily to have her hair done. She is a widow to a late former mayor of the town. Unfortunately, Shelby who suffers from type one diabetes fall unconscious but manages to recover quickly by the help of her mother's and quick thinking. Her mother comments on the state of her daughter and tries to explain the doctor recommendations of Shelby not to have kids. Later in the afternoon Louisa Boudreaux arrives at the salons. She seems too inquisitive try to study the background of Annelle. This leads to Annelle revealing the secret about his husband as a dangerous criminal who wanted by the police. This moved Shelby until she decided to invite her to the wedding. In the wedding, Annelle meets Sammy, who is attending bar CITATION Stu95 \l 2057 (Student Matinee Series, 1995). Months go by, and Shelby decides to return to town for Christmas festival where she announces that she is expecting the first child in her marriage with Jackson. This doesn't sound well with her parents who are too scared to rejoice together with the others. Shelby tries to give every reason to prove how the child of necessity but still does not manage to elevate her worry in her parents. Annelle, Truvy, and Clairee had used to think that Shelby is sterile but on the event of the announcement, her mother had to clarify that the doctors had recommended that she should not give birth due to her health condition. This brings a big difference but driven by wisdom, Truvy could not give her words of advice but insisted that they focus on the good news at hand although it wasit was evident that Shelby could die during giving birth. When the time came, Shelby successfully delivered her baby son but soon afterwards started showing kidney failure symptoms. Her mother donates her a kidney, and she seemingly resumes her daily life. Clairee and Ouiser offer to ensure that M'Lynn's family is well catered for after the kidney transplant. Annelle is surprised by a wedding shower by her confidants, but unluckily Shelby misses out due to her tight nursing schedule which she must attend to. She is later discovered in a pathetic in the house. At the hospital, the doctors examine her only to realise that her body was reacting against the implanted kidney thus leading her into a coma. Her family is informed by the doctors that she is likely to remain in the coma indefinitely. They jointly decided to remove her from life support. During the funeral, her mother is seen to collapse in hysterics with her friends, but she is comforted by other women. She later learns to accept her daughter's death and focuses on raising Jack Jr. Annelle, who now happens to be pregnant requests M'Lynn the permission to name her expected baby after Shelby since she was the reason that she met her husband. She is happily granted her request and months later during an Easter morning, a new life begins. Aesthetic Choices The movie happens to belong to a group of pantheon movie that is well known for their legendary abilities that make the audience weepy. One could eas...