August: Osage County Review

Rated R (Language including Sexual References, and for Drug Material)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 1 Minute

Cast-

Meryl Streep-Violet Weston

Julia Roberts-Barbara Weston-Fordham

Ewan McGregor-Bill Fordham

Abigail Breslin-Jean Fordham

Chris Cooper-Charlie Aiken

Margo Martindale-Mattie Fae Aiken

Benedict Cumberbatch-'Little' Charles Aiken

Julianne Nicholson-Ivy Weston

Juliette Lewis-Karen Weston

Dermot Mulroney-Steve Heidebrecht

Sam Shepard-Beverly Weston

Misty Upham-Johnna Monevata

Will Coffey-Sheriff Deon Gilbeau

Newell Alexander-Dr. Burke

Directed by John Wells

You don't want to be part of this family!

Note: Screened on Thursday, December 12, 2013 at the Zeigfeld Theater (Red Carpet Premiere).

John Ray, a seventeenth century English naturalist and botanist, once said that 'misery loves company,' and nowhere is this truer than in John Wells' latest film "August: Osage County," based on the 2007 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play of the same name from Tracy Letts, who adapted his own work for the big screen. Wells, a frequent television executive producer and showrunner who made his directorial debut in 2010 with the lukewarm drama "The Company Men," has gathered an outstanding ensemble cast that most directors can only dream of having, ranging from awards-nominated veterans to rising young stars. Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Margo Martindale, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholson, Sam Shepard, Misty Upham—even simply recounting all their names proves to be a mouthful and with six of the film's actors having already won or been nominated for an Academy Award, the amount of talent exhibited by Wells' cast is without a doubt immeasurable. However, bringing so many marquee names together can be a double-edged sword at times as it can lead to an overabundance of scenery-chewing, especially when the story revolves around a family as dysfunctional as the Westons. This has been a common complaint among critics yet the sight of Streep and Roberts shouting and grappling with each other like a family version of "Godzilla vs. Megalon" is part of the charm of Wells' film. The over-the-top performances threaten to derail Wells' picture as it veers between soapy melodrama and high-brow camp but "August: Osage County" is never less than entertaining, and you might even find yourselves relating to the Westons in spite of the family's caustic behavior toward each other.

When former poet and Weston patriarch Beverly (Sam Shepard) suddenly goes missing one Saturday morning, eldest daughter Barbara (Julia Roberts) returns to her childhood home in Osage County, Oklahoma in order to lend some moral support to her mother Violet (Meryl Streep), who suffers from oral cancer. Tagging along on the trip is her estranged husband Bill Fordham (Ewan McGregor) and their rebellious fourteen-year-old daughter Jean (Abigail Breslin). Barbara's relationship with Violet has always been contentious at best, like a powder keg just waiting to explode. When the local sheriff reveals that Beverly has been found dead from an apparent suicidal drowning, the rest of the Weston clan convenes for his funeral, bringing their emotional baggage with them. Violet's youngest daughter Karen (Juliette Lewis) is in complete denial about her dysfunctional family and can only talk about her upcoming wedding with wealthy businessman Steve Heidebrecht (Dermot Mulroney), who takes an unhealthy interest in Jean. Middle daughter Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), who stuck around to tend to her mother, is having a secret affair with her first cousin 'Little' Charles Aiken (Benedict Cumberbatch), the meek and clumsy son of Violet's equally controlling sister Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale) and Charlie (Chris Cooper). The only person not part of this family freak-show is Johnna Monevata (Misty Upham), a Cheyenne Native American hired by Beverly as a live-in housekeeper prior to his disappearance. Beverly's funeral goes by without any incident but what should've been a time of reflection and remembrance instead turns into a shouting match as Violet and Barbara vie for control. Over the next several days, grievances are aired and secrets are revealed, with the Weston clan quickly disintegrating amidst the familial chaos.

The ones you love the most will always hurt you the most, a truism that goes double for the Westons in John Wells' big screen adaptation of Tracy Letts' 2007 play "August: Osage County." The film opens with Sam Shepard's Beverly Weston, who remarks that 'life is very long,' a line from T.S. Eliot's 1925 poem The Hollow Men. A sudden thud is heard upstairs and he explains that the source of the noise is his wife, Violet. 'She takes pills,' admits Beverly without even a hint of irony. It is just something he has accepted and to deal with it, he drinks. This is the 'bargain' they've struck and it's clear that Beverly has long since given up on his marriage, choosing to wash his hands of his wife by dumping her in the care of Johnna, a Native American girl he's looking to hire as their live-in housekeeper. Near the end of Johnna's job interview, Violet makes her grand entrance and it's initially shocking to see Meryl Streep looking so old and drained of life with her balding head and chalk-white skin. Within a matter of minutes, Violet has already managed to offend Johnna, embarrass Beverly, and reveal herself as barely coherent. This is the only scene that Shepard appears in and it's a great one as the way his character silently regards Violet perfectly sums up the current state of their marriage, or what little remains of it and it's hard not to feel a tinge of sadness. Once Beverly goes missing, eldest daughter Barbara enters the picture, with Julia Roberts giving off a palpable angry energy. She uncomfortably greets her Aunt Mattie Fae and the way she speaks to her mother feels cold and impersonal. Similar to how Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" is akin to a horror film, "August: Osage County" can be likened to a monster movie because it's readily apparent that Violet and Barbara are a powder keg waiting to explode.

Sure enough, that's exactly what happens during the fateful 'dinner scene' at the end of the second act, which is equal parts funny and frightening to watch. I was not expecting to laugh as much as I did but the dark humor is essential to "August: Osage County." Without it, the film would consist of a family screaming at each other for two whole hours and that's not exactly a pleasant experience. The dinner begins with a hilarious attempt by Charles Sr. (now the family patriarch by default as Violet is keen to remind him) to say grace but the laughs quickly subside once Violet starts engaging in some truth-tellin' as she calls it. Wells' camerawork leans a little on the boring side as he cuts back-and-forth between the various dinner guests but Adriano Goldman's claustrophobic cinematography and the ensemble cast greatly makes up for it, with Violet and Barbara trading passive-aggressive barbs at each other. It's not a coincidence that Violet has oral cancer as the way she judges and manipulates everyone toxically spreads like the disease she suffers from. This is a bitter woman and she wants her family to be as miserable as her, pushing all of their buttons in order to feel better about herself. No one can have it worse than her. The adversarial relationship between mother and daughter forms the centerpiece of the film and it violently explodes when Barbara lunges at Violet to take away her pills. It's like something out of an old-fashioned monster movie as the two scream and grapple with each other. They're both control freaks and without realizing it, Barbara is becoming more and more like her mother. Watching the Westons bicker amongst themselves reminded me of my own family and I recall this one time where my relatives began verbally assaulting each other. This wasn't even at home; it was at a public restaurant. Since I was just a young boy at the time, I don't remember what the argument was about but I recently visited my relatives and the passive-aggressiveness was clearly palpable. Considering I had not seen them for over ten years, I was disappointed that some refused to even speak to me and mother out of some petty jealousy. Some families can't be mended and by the end of the film, secrets involving incest, child molestation, and mistaken paternity are laid completely bare, with each of the Westons seemingly doomed to a solitary existence. You won't find much resolution here. No one forgives and forgets. That's the way some families are and that's 'the way the world ends.'

Wells has brought together a talented, diverse cast and not surprisingly, the performances—while verging on being over-the-top at times—are all uniformly excellent despite some of the actors being shortchanged by Letts' crowded script. As the newly-widowed Violet Weston, Meryl Streep makes her both a pitiable and despicable mother figure. Her character is a woman who is constantly in pain, causing her to drown herself in a sea of prescription drugs but this only makes Violet more vindictive as she comes after her three daughters again and again like a freight train that's unable to stop itself. Streep is perfectly matched by Julia Roberts, who's noticeably de-glammed here but still very beautiful. It's rare seeing Roberts play someone as openly angry as Barbara yet she gives the role her all, with the film crackling with energy whenever she locks horns with Streep on-screen. The actress is well-supported by Julianne Nicholson and Juliette Lewis as her two younger sisters Ivy and Karen. Similar first names aside, the three are convincing as sisters; they are alike but exhibit completely different personalities. One is bitter, one is cynical, and one is in denial. These worldviews are revealed during an excellent scene when the three of them quietly share a glass of wine together. While it's obvious that they still love each other, whatever sisterly bond they once had is now long gone.

Margo Martindale and Chris Cooper's characters are polar opposites yet that's precisely the reason why they're plausible as a long-married couple. Cooper in particular has a beautiful moment as Charlie where he professes to his son—played by Benedict Cumberbatch—how proud he is of him and later defends the boy from his mother Mattie Fae, who is just as controlling as her sister Violet and seems to take delight in ridiculing her own flesh-and-blood at every opportunity. Although his Midwest accent wavers at times, Cumberbatch is appropriately sensitive and it's hard not to sympathize with his character, given the derisive nickname 'Little' Charles. Dermot Mulroney is sleazy as shifty businessman Steve while Abigail Breslin breathes life into her turbulent relationship with her mother as rebellious teenager Jean. Ewan McGregor fades into the background more than I would've liked as Barbara's estranged husband Bill, and Sam Shepard makes the most of his extended cameo as the warm but troubled Beverly. Finally, there's Misty Upham's Johnna serving as the audience's surrogate. However, her character is the most shortchanged and she doesn't come into her own until the very end.

Premiering at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival last September and given a limited release on December 27th, "August: Osage County" has received lukewarm reviews so far with 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that 'the sheer amount of acting going on in [the film] threatens to overwhelm, but when the actors involved are as talented as Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, it's difficult to complain.' Set to expand on January 10, 2014, the film's star-studded cast will draw some curious moviegoers but it probably won't make much of an impression at the box office considering its premise. Not many people would willingly watch a family slowly disintegrate over the course of two hours. I haven't seen the play itself so I can't really compare the two but "August: Osage County" remains a compelling and surprisingly hilarious film, a slice-of-life dramedy that explores how people do unforgivable things to the ones they supposedly love. It's not among 2013's best yet Wells' film contains some big performances that are worth the price of admission alone.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

"I can't perpetuate these myths of family or sisterhood anymore. We're just people, some of us accidentally connected by genetics, a random selection of cells."