Family movies were made to teach a lesson or two – whether it be loving dear parents, being a tad empathetic about others, or simply cherishing the moment. Like a true family dramedy, August: Osage County is all that, and more. The Westons is a family seemingly (actually, more like) falling apart at the seams – what with patriarch Beverly (Sam Shepard) going missing, mother Violet (Meryl Streep) suffering from alcoholism and pill-addiction, and some well-kept secrets distancing the siblings that are, well, under the table. This drives the Weston-daughters to come home after diverging many moons ago and chaos ensues.
With an overly talented ensemble headlined by Streep as the cancer-ridden matriarch of the Westons and Julia Roberts as her eldest, supremely in-denial daughter, it’s easy to see why this has gathered five Academy Award nominations to its name.
"This pared-down film version mostly captures the stormy symphonic interplay of nasty recriminations, mocking taunts and hurtful revelations hurled with corrosive aplomb by a top-notch ensemble of actors."
— Susan Wloszczyna
An intense look at the lives of the strong-willed daughters of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional mother who raised them.
Other
1 nomination
The acting in this movie is amazing. The characters portray just the right amount of awkwardness. The movie somehow was able to compress the complex relationship of the family members (and trust me, they have a very very complicated relationship) and present it in a beautifully shot hour-and-a-half movie. This movie is one of those movies I love without even knowing wh