Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Callie Khouri

Writers (WGA):

Rebecca Wells (novels)
Mark Andrus (adaptation)

Release Date:

7 June 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Mothers. Daughters. The never-ending story of good vs. evil.

Plot:

After years of mother-daughter tension, Siddalee receives a scrapbook detailing the wild adventures of the "Ya-Yas", her mother's girlhood friends.

Plot Keywords:

Mother | Playwright | Secret Society | Daughter | Interview

Awards:

3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 12

1:00 PM

MAX

Cast

Sandra Bullock	...	Siddalee 'Sidda' Walker
Ellen Burstyn	...	Viviane Joan 'Vivi' Abbott Walker
Fionnula Flanagan	...	'Teensy' Melissa Whitman
James Garner	...	Shepard James 'Shep' Walker
Cherry Jones	...	Grandma 'Buggy' Abbott
Ashley Judd	...	Younger Vivi Abbott Walker
Shirley Knight	...	Necie Rose Kelleher
Angus Macfadyen	...	Connor McGill
Maggie Smith	...	Caro Eliza Bennett
Jacqueline McKenzie	...	Younger Teensy Whitman
Katy Selverstone	...	Younger Caro Bennett
Kiersten Warren	...	Younger Necie Kelleher
David Lee Smith	...	Younger Shep Walker
Gina McKee	...	Genevieve Whitman
Matthew Settle	...	Lt. Jack Whitman

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, language, and brief sensuality.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12 (video rating) (2002) | UK:12A (original rating) | Iceland:10 ) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Malaysia:U | Canada:A (Ontario) | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38793)

Filming Locations:

Burgaw, North Carolina, USA

Company:

All Girl Productions

Trivia:

Filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina at the same time as was A Walk to Remember (2002).

Goofs:

Continuity: While Sidda is lying on the couch talking to Connor the piece of fabric underneath her head changes position.

Quotes:

Caro: [about Vivi's breakdown] She didn't leave you, Sidda.
Sidda: Yeah, well, she was sure as hell gone.
Caro: She sure as hell was.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: Talk Derby to Me (#3.7)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Selah

Wise, Witty, and Wonderful!

After all the hype and comparisons to 'Steel Magnolias', 'Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood', sadly, did not do much box office, which was a shame, as it is a more intimate, realistic vision of women and life-long friendships than the glossier 'Magnolias'.

Four girl friends in Louisiana create a secret sisterhood in 1937, swearing eternal devotion to each other, and they remain best friends through all the triumphs and tragedies in their lives. When the daughter of one of them (Sandra Bullock), a successful playright, has an interview with Time magazine in which she condemns her mother's impact on her life, the mother (Ellen Burstyn, who is superb!) goes ballistic, cutting the daughter out of her life, totally. In charges the other members of the Sisterhood, kidnapping Bullock, and attempting to make things right!

The film then jumps back and forth in time, with Ashley Judd playing the younger Burstyn. She has a lot of happy adventures with her Ya-Ya sisters, but also has to deal with racism, a jealous religious zealot of a mother, an overly loving father (David Rasche, breaking free of his usual comic roles), a true love who dies in WWII, and a family with a guy she 'settles' for (played, in present day, by the wonderful James Garner). There is also a dark secret that is the core of the mother/daughter alienation, which must be dealt with in order for the rift between Bullock and Burstyn to heal (No, I will NOT give it away!)

If you do the math about the years covered, you realize the present-day story SHOULD be taking place in the seventies, at the latest, but this doesn't hurt the overall effectiveness of the picture. As the other present-day sisters, Fionnula Flanagan, Shirley Knight, and (especially) Maggie Smith are WONDERFUL, as is Angus MacFadyen, as Bullock's sympathetic and likable fiance.

While this is unabashedly a 'chick flick', something I really liked was that they DIDN'T fall back on that old chestnut of somebody dying to serve as a convenient catalyst for change and the healing process. And the dialog is full of wickedly hilarious one-liners about men, alcohol, friendship, and growing old!

Don't miss this gem!