Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002)

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

Director:

Callie Khouri

Writers:

Rebecca Wells (novels), Mark Andrus (adaptation),

Stars:

Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Fionnula Flanagan

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Siddalee, a famous New York playwright, is quoted in Time magazine and infuriates her dramatic, Southern mother. A long-distant fight wages until her mother's friends (and members of the Yaya Sisterhood) kidnap Siddalee and take her "home" to the South, where they hope to explain her mother's history and to patch up the rift between mother and daughter.

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Plot Keywords:

playwright | louisiana | interview | secret society | flashback | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [us]with trailer

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 June 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Divinos secretos

Filming Locations:

Burgaw, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$65,100 (South Africa) (4 October 2002)

Gross:

$199,958 (South Africa) (1 November 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

All Girl Productions, Gaylord Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

The Ya Yas arrive at Teensie's aunt's house in Atlanta for the premiere of Gone with the Wind in December 1939 in a 1941 or 1942 Packard.

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Quotes

Caro: Why doesn't somebody go to the bathroom? It always makes the food come.

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Connections

Referenced in Tosh.0: Make It Snow Girl (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Ya-Ya"
(2002)
Written by Darrell Leonard and T-Bone Burnett

User Reviews

Secrets of Blah, Blah

Greetings again from the darkness. I expected to hate this one and I was not disappointed. Way too many attempts at creating classic Hollywood dialogs. Don't writers and directors get it ... the harder you try to be cute, the less cute it is. Callie Khouri has worked her way on to my "Don't Bother" list. Her writing on "Something to Talk About" and "Thelma And Louise" and her directing and screenplay on this one have convinced me that she has nothing to say that I want to hear. This movie could be used in place of captial punishment to prevent serious crimes. One strike ... you are sentenced to watching this movie. Sandra Bullock again proves she was a flash in the pan. No longer cute and wholesome - just tiresome. Ellen Burstyn put some effort into her role because she is a true professional. Fionnula Flannigan ("Waking Ned Devine", "The Others") was a bit of kick to watch, but the talented Shirley Knight and James Garner were totally wasted. Don't know what to say about Ashley Judd - seems as if they were so thrilled to have her in the movie, they didn't know how to use her. I will give it to Maggie Smith for one of the best acting jobs while attached to an oxygen tank.