August: Osage County (2013)

It’s a David O. Russell film starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Both are Oscar nominees here—Meryl for lead, Julia for supporting. Honestly, they both crushed it. Meryl has always been one of my favorites; she just has this way of inhabiting any role completely. She absolutely tore it apart here. Playing that scattered, unstable woman hooked on pills? It looked effortless, like she’s done it a hundred times before. Even though the competition in the women's category is pretty brutal this year... if she takes it home again, I wouldn't complain.
(Though I suspect Cate Blanchett might snag it, mostly because she carried a tedious movie like "Blue Jasmine" solely on the strength of her acting.)
I’m pulling for Julia this time around. To me, none of the other actresses delivered a performance quite as solid as hers..

August: Osage County is about a totally messed up family that reconvenes at the same old spot after the father disappears. It’s really just the story of three sisters and their dysfunctional mother.

By the end of the two-hour runtime (which always feels longer to me because I tend to overthink the plot).. I was actually pretty happy with it. As the secrets start spilling out, the hysteria kicks in—just constant fighting, accusations, all tangled up with the mother's pill addiction. Some people might find the yelling and the chaos a bit much.. But since I have a bit of a wild streak myself sometimes, it hit harder. There’s a perfect quote from Karenina that fits:
"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way". That’s basically this entire movie in a nutshell.

The pacing might feel slow or boring to some, but hey.. it worked for me 🙂.

The only thing that really stuck with me was the acting. You’ve got this massive lineup of big names, but it basically boils down to Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep running the show while everyone else just hangs around like extras. The plot tries to juggle way too many threads at once and stays pretty superficial; it almost feels like the whole movie is just a teaser for ten different films that should have focused on one character each. That subplot involving the aunt and uncle felt completely unnecessary, honestly. It’s just too much of everything and yet nothing at all—just a snapshot of one caricatured, dysfunctional family. Still, I guess it was worth watching just for Meryl, and the rest of the cast led by Julia Roberts. They really showed up, especially compared to those overrated Oscar hunters. It's a level of talent you don't see every day, which makes the mediocrity of the self-proclaimed method actors under David O. Russell even more jarring. Ugh...

(spoiler)
The whole subplot with the aunt and dad felt totally unnecessary to me. It’s like they couldn't just settle for them being biological parents; they had to make them half-siblings too. Just extra noise.
As for the idea that there's too much dialogue or that it's all surface-level—I’m going to have to disagree with you there. I mean, if they actually sat down and explored every single backstory, we'd be watching a movie within a movie. Everything feels pretty well-handled; you get enough insight into everyone's character to actually form an opinion while you're watching.

It’s pretty obvious what they were going for. I get that it’s just meant to be a small slice of life or a glimpse into their relationships, but it just didn't work for me.

And that’s fine by me 😁

I actually really dug the movie—honestly, Meryl is a total lock for an Oscar, obviously 👍

Really solid! I'm a sucker for those movies with a huge ensemble cast where everyone’s got these messy, unresolved dynamics. It’s got a bit of a Bergman vibe to it.

8

Hello. It might not be an Oscar contender, but I found the film quite pleasantly surprising. Some might find the pacing slow, but this kind of drama really worked for me. The two hours just flew by.
Hats off to Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts 👍

What a fantastic movie!👍 I’m betting the stage play is even better. The characters are so well-drawn, and I just loved that whole family vibe—the dialogue, the raw emotion, the feeling that it’s actually real life.

I really loved this movie! I’m honestly obsessed with these kinds of themes, and even though the messy relationships were a bit intense, I thought they worked perfectly. And man, it wasn't even about Meryl—it was more about how Julia Roberts just absolutely crushed it 🙏

Morgan Scott8 said:The plot tries to juggle way too many stories at once and stays incredibly shallow—it honestly feels like the whole movie is just a bloated intro to ten different spin-off films that would actually bother to explore each character properly. That whole subplot with the aunt and uncle? Totally useless. It’s just "too much" of everything without actually delivering anything. Basically just a sketch about one caricatured, dysfunctional family.

I'm with you on that. It’s like they tried to cram a bunch of episodes from some—let's call it an "intellectually superior" soap opera 😉—into a single feature film or drama.

I haven't actually sat through the movie yet, but I've seen the stage play twice, and the film is basically just a carbon copy of it.

vividraven7 said:(spoiler)
It’s almost like they couldn't settle for them being biological parents and had to make them half-siblings instead.

That’s exactly what crossed my mind while watching the play—the moment that happened, the story lost all its dramatic weight and turned into a complete farce.

nimblemason3 said:Really good! I dig movies like this where there's a huge ensemble cast with all these tangled, messy relationships. There's a certain Bergman vibe to it.

8

That style is actually pretty close to the dramas and adaptations based on Tennessee Williams. You should check out some movies based on his plays.

*who was heavily influenced by Chekhov

Do you recall those massive Band Aid charity events and similar "all-star" gatherings in the pop and rock world? Those moments when icons like Bono, Sting, Eric Clapton, and Paul McCartney all congregate just to perform a spontaneous jam session of an evergreen classic like Hey Juda. We have seen this dynamic translated to cinema quite often—sometimes in a breezy, lighthearted way reminiscent of the Ocean's series, and other times in a much more somber fashion, typically through adaptations of stage plays. August: Osage County represents the latter category, adapted from a Tracy Letts play that has already established itself as a modern American classic, boasting a cast of the highest caliber.
The most recent example of this specific approach was the masterful Carnage by Roman Polanski, which relied on just four characters confined to a single apartment. Here, we are presented with a somewhat weathered old villa in Oklahoma, a dysfunctional family, and several cinematic beats that suggest a seamless transition from the stage to the screen. However, when adapting a play or any significant literary work, it is imperative that everyone involved—the screenwriter, the director, and the actors—possesses a deep understanding of the text and respects its intended tone. August: Osage County falters significantly in this regard.
The issue arises when a performer of Meryl Streep's magnitude fails to grasp her character or attempts to fundamentally alter their essence. Violet is conceived as a wicked, cynical, and selfish matriarch, dealing with early stages of dementia but remaining largely lucid and venomous. In the original play, she is portrayed as broken yet provides a comedic spark. The play is a black comedy through and through, even if it occasionally drifts into melodrama. Meryl Streep's interpretation struggles because she attempts to imbue her malice with a sense of humanity and elegy, trying to soften the caricature; unfortunately, this shifts the entire tonal balance of the script.
A more forceful director than Wells—perhaps someone like William Friedkin, who has previously tackled Letts's Killer Joe—might have found the strength to restrain the leading lady and steer her toward the correct path. Instead, Wells allows the actress to essentially hijack the film, leaving the rest of the cast to follow her lead as best they can. While they generally manage to hold their own, there are moments where the film loses its momentum entirely.
Ultimately, August: Osage County is a decent cinematic experience, though far from perfect. The primary reason to sit through it is the quality of the acting and the fact that the material continues the tradition of classic American drama. You will likely find entertainment in it as well, particularly if these characters remind you of a particularly hellish version of your own family or your spouse's side of the tree. As for me, while the film is solid, I find myself wishing I had simply watched the play instead.

more at:
http://film-na-dan.blogspot.com/2014...ge-county.html

Jamie Turner80 said:All things considered, August: Osage County is a pretty decent cinematic ride, even if it doesn't quite hit that "perfect" mark for me. The main reason you’d bother sitting through it is the acting—it’s top-tier stuff—and the fact that it keeps that classic American drama tradition alive and kicking. You'll definitely get some entertainment out of it too, especially if the characters remind you of a particularly unhinged version of your own family (or maybe your in-laws, if you're feeling brave). Personally, while the movie holds its own, I honestly think I'd prefer seeing the stage play instead.

više na:
I can't believe I'm even sitting here typing this out—it’s honestly exhausting how much people miss the point when it comes to certain movies. Let's talk about *Prisoners*. Seriously, let's just dive straight into the deep end because there's a lot to unpack here, and most of what you hear from the "casual" crowd is just surface-level noise. First off, if you haven't seen it yet, consider this a spoiler OFF. You need to go in blind to actually feel that suffocating, dread-filled atmosphere that Director Denis Villeneuve builds so perfectly. It's not just a thriller; it's an absolute grind on your nerves. The whole thing centers on this desperate, messy search for missing kids, and Hugh Jackman plays the father with this raw, unhinged intensity that makes you want to both hug him and tell him to sit down and shut up. He’s pushed to the edge of his sanity, and watching that slow descent? It's brutal. Then you’ve got Jake Gyllenhaal playing the detective, and he brings this quiet, twitchy energy that balances out the chaos perfectly. It's like watching a high-stakes chess match where someone keeps knocking over the pieces just to see them break. Now, I know some critics were trying to compare the performances to the usual heavy hitters—you know, comparing things to Meryl Streep or Julia Roberts levels of prestige—but honestly, that feels like a reach. This isn't a polished Hollywood drama where everyone delivers a perfect monologue in a ballroom. This is gritty, it's dirty, and it’s deeply uncomfortable. It’s more like being stuck in a small town in the Midwest during a thunderstorm where you know something bad is about to happen, but you can't quite see through the rain. The cinematography is another beast entirely. Every shot feels heavy, almost like the air in the movie is thicker than the air in New York City. It captures that sense of isolation so well—that feeling that no matter how much you scream, the world is just going to keep spinning while your life falls apart. Is it a masterpiece? Maybe. Is it a gut punch? Absolutely. If you're looking for something light to watch while you eat popcorn, stay far away from this one. But if you want a movie that stays in your head like a persistent headache for three days after the credits roll, then yeah, this is it. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

I caught an American production back in New York City about four or five years ago—wasn't sure if it was the original version or what, but who cares? It ran for over three hours, and honestly, I wasn't bored for even a single second. It had all the hallmarks of a top-tier, high-budget soap opera, just dialed up to eleven. Total quality stuff.

Look, even without having sat through the movie, I’ve got a massive problem with drama as a genre when it's handled like this. For me, it’s all about that nuance—that subtle, understated quality where you don't have everything spoon-fed to you. This whole thing just feels way too on the nose, almost like... Look, they’re acting all halfway—sort of middle-of-the-road, if you catch my drift—and honestly? It’s all because of that one specific thing and that other thing too. It's like when a driver keeps hovering right between lanes instead of just picking a side—it's indecisive, it's messy, and it's happening precisely because of those exact reasons.I honestly don't think you always need to spoon-feed the audience—sometimes, just let them figure it out.

Look, just because you want to call something a tragicomedy doesn't mean you have to lean on those extreme, gut-wrenching tropes to give it any actual weight—you know, the heavy stuff like pedophilia or incest—just to make it feel "deep." Honestly? This whole thing feels way too overloaded with that kind of shock value for my taste.

We have arrived at the pitcher. I will concede that the work lacks subtlety, yet the drama is intentionally constructed to be blunt, darkly comedic, and somewhat parodic.
It is quite fascinating to observe how, when one critiques the pillars of American dramatic literature—think O'Neill or Williams—the subject matter is immediately elevated to the status of an instant classic.

It was an excellent film, and honestly, I think it deserved an Oscar nod this year. Meryl Streep is predictably brilliant, and Julia Roberts holds her own just fine without being overshadowed or dulling the performance. It really dives deep into those messy family dynamics, leaving nothing unsaid.

I actually liked the movie. It might have hit harder

spoiler

if it ended on Meryl Streep’s breakdown instead of Julia Roberts just walking away (after standing there for a bit)

spoiler OFF

The movie is excellent—cynical, dark, and witty. I truly enjoyed those two hours.

I think some people missed the point: this isn't driven by the plot—spoiler OFF: the father's disappearance and death, Julia Roberts' divorce, the sister's affair with her brother, or the woman involved with the predator—it’s actually about the dynamics between them.

Also, there is no happy ending here; nobody gets a fairy tale conclusion.

Meryl Streep is phenomenal. 🙏 Honestly, she should just have an annual subscription to the Oscars... it makes no sense for anyone else to even compete against her in her category.

Hands down, this is one of the best movies I’ve seen in quite a while.

Meryl leaves me absolutely breathless every single time; honestly, I was already bowing down to her within the first ten minutes. 🙏
With her characters, I completely lose sight of the fact that I'm watching the famous Meryl Streep—I just see the person she's playing, as if she had lived that life forever.

Julia really surprised me with her performance here. It felt like she had been waiting for a role exactly like this; hats off to her.

The entire story was just wonderful. I found myself laughing out loud several times, and there were moments so good I actually rewound them to catch everything. There were also plenty of scenes that truly moved me to tears. I didn't feel like the plot was overloaded, either; it's very easy to follow, and rather than getting caught up in the various subplots, I found myself much more invested in the human connections between the characters.

10/10

Kate Foster12 said:...Meryl Streep is just phenomenal. 🙏 Honestly, she should probably just have an annual subscription to the Oscars; it doesn't make sense for anyone else to even compete with her in that category.

Too true. I guess they might be getting tired of handing her Oscars, but this was a performance worthy of the highest award. Which isn't an Oscar, obviously, so there's no point crying about it. The woman just owns every single frame, and everyone knows it. 🙏

Such an underrated movie. Maybe alongside Prisoners, it's one of the most overlooked films of 2013. I almost didn't watch it, but—well, what a find. It literally kept me glued to the screen for two hours. I really like these kinds of human dramas where top-tier actors shine and the tension is thick enough to cut with a knife. Yeah, great. The chemistry between Streep and Roberts works really well, and pretty much everyone else holds their own against them. Well, "pretty much," because some people are basically just extras (didn't recognize "little" 😲Breslin...), and others will never reach Streep's level. With a few flaws and an unfinished feeling toward the ending, that's mostly why I wouldn't give it a perfect ten. But it's easily a 9/10.

Such an incredible movie! Honestly, the acting is just mind-blowing—especially Julia and Meryl (though I have to admit, Meryl completely floored me 😁). It’s such a raw look at how much our traditional family values have shifted lately. This one is definitely a more intense take on those classic family dramas, but you see stories like this popping up everywhere these days. Between the atmosphere, the performances, and that gritty visual realism where you can actually see every single freckle and wrinkle on every actor's face 😁... man, it was worth every penny for a Friday night.