Steel Magnolias

My goodness... I didn't know that any film could successfully contain this much estrogen but Steel Magnolias has educated me.

I watched this one last night with my mom and girlfriend Stephanie, just in case (as I suspect) women speak some sort of strange females-only language when they are alone with each other that would need to be translated for a male audience. They didn't do anything like that in the film but I am still not convinced.

Anyway, this movie was very well made. All the lead actresses were very good, even Dolly Parton (???). My favorite free spirited southern lady (there were six to choose from) was Ouiser, played by Shirley Maclaine, who provided the comic relief in the film. The tragic Shelby, (Julia Roberts in one of the best performances I have seen from her) is the central character, as the plot follows her character arc from her wedding, to the birth of her child, and through her health issues brought on by diabetes.

My only complaint with the movie is the portrayal of the male characters as, well, goofballs. The first scene revolves around the preparation for Shelby's wedding, during which her father tries to scare away birds with a .38 and firework laden exploding crossbow bolts (awesome). So yes, this movie actually did have explosions in it. For this he is berated by every single female character, several times (I half expected Sally Field to cry "and get your damn muddy boots off the kitchen table!") Yes, her husband was THAT guy. But so was every other male character (Dolly Parton's husband works on his car a lot and is named Spud). They all come around in the end though, and yes, there is a happy, hopeful ending, which is fine, because there is plenty of sad stuff in this film too. I didn't cry though. My mom, who had seen it before, admitted to shedding a few tears, and Stephanie fell asleep (long day at work, I guess).

Anyway, I liked Steel Magnolias. For what it is, (a movie aimed squarely at women) it is great. I haven't seen a purer look at female friendship. Plus, any movie that features a man dressed as the Easter Bunny hopping (ha) on a Harley and riding off as its last shot has my vote.


Production Value: 4/5
Acting performances: 4/5
Humor: 3/5
Estrogen level: 6/5

Overall: 7/10