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Title: Steel Magnolias (1989)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Sally Field | ... | M'Lynn Eatenton | |
| Dolly Parton | ... | Truvy Jones | |
| Shirley MacLaine | ... | Ouiser Boudreaux | |
| Daryl Hannah | ... | Annelle Dupuy Desoto | |
| Olympia Dukakis | ... | Clairee Belcher | |
| Julia Roberts | ... | Shelby Eatenton Latcherie | |
| Tom Skerritt | ... | Drum Eatenton | |
| Sam Shepard | ... | Spud Jones | |
| Dylan McDermott | ... | Jackson Latcherie | |
| Kevin J. O'Connor | ... | Sammy Desoto | |
| Bill McCutcheon | ... | Owen Jenkins | |
| Ann Wedgeworth | ... | Aunt Fern | |
 |
Knowl Johnson | ... | Tommy Eatenton |
| Jonathan Ward | ... | Jonathan Eatenton | |
| Bibi Besch | ... | Belle Marmillion | |
Pivoting around the lively Truvy Jones' Louisiana beauty parlour, a tightly-knit band of friends, confront griefs, loss, life's unforeseen tragedies and heartaches with what they do best: gossiping and sharing. The spirited diabetic and bride-to-be, Shelby; her always supportive mother, M'Lynn; Truvy's gawky assistant, Annelle; the city's curmudgeon, Ouiser; and the town's former first lady, Clairee, are the warm Southern belles who know how to survive life's challenges with their unwavering friendship. But when Shelby decides to conceive, things will turn upside down.. Written by Nick Riganas
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This wonderful comedy drama romance tells the tale of a close knit group of six Southern women (of varying ages) in a small Louisiana town. The film gives us a glimpse into their daily lives over a period of several years, their laughter, their joy, and their tears, all through the lens of their enduring friendship.
Here are the six magnolias...
M'Lynne (Sally Field)...perhaps the steeliest of all the magnolias, who has a bittersweet relationship with her grown daughter
Shelby (Julia Roberts)...everyone's favorite girl next door, M'Lynne's endearing, diabetic daughter; we see her planning her very pink wedding (wait till you see the groom's cake!) and charting a difficult path, given her medical history
Truvy (Dolly Parton)...the married but lonely hairdresser with the heart of gold, who owns and operates Trudy's Beauty Parlor, center of social life for these ladies, site of gossip, teasing quips, and comfort
Ouisser (Shirley MacLaine)...the sarcastic spinster and cantankerous comic relief who is frequently seen carting her little dog around and exchanging barbs with her Old Nemesis, M'Lynne's husband, Drum
Clairee (Olympia Dukakis)...the charming, gossiping widow and town bigwig
Annelle (Daryl Hannah)...the shy, awkward new girl in town, who has a mysterious past and lands a job at the beauty parlor, under Truvy's mentoring
Through these six, we see the strength that lies behind the legendary Southern lady's charm (well, maybe Ouisser's not that charming!) and supposed flower fragility, their humor, their optimism, their faith, and above all, their banding together and supporting each other in the face of adversity.
I understand that this movie is based on a well known play by a famous Louisiana playwright. The women depicted in the film are by and large good Christian, church going folk, which is laudable. My initial reaction was to blame Hollywood for mocking Annelle's newfound deep faith and having her act as though she hadn't a clue in her dim witted Southern head. The playwright may have intended to cast her as going overboard and being too judgmental. If so, I personally don't consider this a kind or necessary depiction, and find Annelle to be very sincere and kind hearted.
However, otherwise this is simply a "funny tearjerker" and a great movie.