Steel Magnolias (1989)

“Mama, I don’t know why you have to make everything so difficult. I look at having a baby as the opportunity of a lifetime. Sure there may be risk involved, but that’s true for anybody. But you get through it and life goes on. And when it’s all said and done there will be a little piece of immortality with Jackson’s good looks and my sense of style, I hope. Please, please I need your support. I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.” – Shelby

Number of Times Seen – at least 3 times (cable in the 90’s, 2 Oct 2009 and 15 Apr 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A group of women in a small Southern town meet regularly at the local beauty parlor to discuss their lives and loves.

My Take on it – This is a such a great film and after having seen it a few times over the years, I was happy to once again revisit it since the characters are so much fun to be with.

The characters are developed extremely well and that helps make things very enjoyable because we can believe that these characters are truly great friends and the various topics that they discuss throughout the movie all help bring these characters to life because they all seem so real and genuine in all that they say and do.

The dialogue is superbly written here and the kind of delivery that these women use for those words really helps make us care so much about these people.

The plot of the film is quite good, but the various segments feel a bot uneven and some are better than others even though they all still manage to get their point across.

The cast is superbly chosen and it’s quite hard to imagine anyone else in these part than Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis, Daryl Hannah, Dolly Parton, Julie Roberts and Shirley MacLaine.

The story remains interesting throughout and over the course of it all, they make us laugh, cry and above all learn to cherish the family and friends that we have since no one really can be certain as to what will be in the future.

Roberts received her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance here and she clearly shines throughout.

Bottom Line – Great film that manages to give us some well developed characters that helps make things quite enjoyable. The dialogue is superbly written and the delivery is even better because they find a way to make these characters truly come to life in front of us. The overall plot is good, but the segments don’t feel as balanced and that takes away a bit from it all. The cast is superbly chosen and it’s hard to imagine a better group of women taking on these roles. Field, Dukakis, Hannah, Pardon, Roberts and MacLaine all are perfect together and it’s easy to believe that these women have been friends a neighbors for a long time. The story is interesting and they find ways to make us laugh, cry and cherish the friends and life that we have because no one ever really knows what will be in the future. Roberts got her forts Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her work here and was deservingly chosen for that honor. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – After a poor take, Director Herbert Ross reprimanded Dolly Parton and asked her if she could act. She replied “No, but it’s your job to make me look like I can!” (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10)