Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

A housewife who is unhappy with her life befriends an old lady in a nursing home and is enthralled by the tales she tells of people she used to know.

Director:

Jon Avnet

Writers:

Fannie Flagg (novel), Fannie Flagg (screenplay)

Stars:

Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kathy Bates	...	Evelyn Couch
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Idgie Threadgoode
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Ruth Jamison
Jessica Tandy	...	Ninny Threadgoode
Cicely Tyson	...	Sipsey
Chris O'Donnell	...	Buddy Threadgoode
Stan Shaw	...	Big George
Gailard Sartain	...	Ed Couch
Timothy Scott	...	Smokey Lonesome (as Tim Scott)
Gary Basaraba	...	Grady Kilgore
Lois Smith	...	Mama Threadgoode
Jo Harvey Allen	...	Women's Awareness Teacher
Macon McCalman	...	Prosecutor Percy
Richard Riehle	...	Reverend Scroggins
Raynor Scheine	...	Sheriff Curtis Smoote

Storyline

Evelyn Couch is having trouble in her marriage, and no one seems to take her seriously. While in a nursing home visiting relatives, she meets Ninny Threadgoode, an outgoing old woman, who tells her the story of Idgie Threadgoode, a young woman in 1920's Alabama. Through Idgie's inspiring life, Evelyn learns to be more assertive and builds a lasting friendship of her own with Ninny.

---

Plot Keywords:

domestic violence | cannibalism | nursing home | friendship | alabama | 

---

Taglines:

The secret of life? The secret's in the sauce.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 January 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tomates verdes fritos

Filming Locations:

Agnes Scott College - 141 E. College Avenue, Decatur, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$82,418,501

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$119,418,501

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures,Act III Communications,Avnet/Kerner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min 137 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates both won the Best Actress Oscar for the two previous years, in Driving Miss Daisy (1989) and Misery (1990). 1991's Best Actress was Jodie Foster for The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Kathy Bates read the audio book version and presented Anthony Hopkins with his Best Actor Award, Mary-Louise Parker appeared in the prequel, Red Dragon (2002).

---

Goofs

Ed says the Evelyn has hit the younger girls car 6 times, but in the film she only hits it 4 times.

---

Quotes

Prosecutor Percy: Why did you go with Idgie Threadgoode?
Judge: Answer the question Mrs. Bennett.
Ruth: Because she... she's the best friend I ever had, and I love her.

---

Connections

Referenced in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Getting Over Jeff. (2017)

---

Soundtracks

Cool Down Yonder
Written by Ira Tucker
Produced by Anthony Heilbut
Arranged and Performed by Marion Williams
Courtesy of Spirit Feel Records

User Reviews

Sweet, Bittersweet, and Intense

This is a film you are bound to fall in love with. All of its characters feel real, intense, reaching out to touch with their passion and the film's nostalgic feel.

It contains some of my favorite performances of all time: Masterson, Parker, Tandy, and Bates give their very best, bringing two life fictional women who feel real, strong, and powerful. The film is very emotional, never maudlin, never disrespecting any of its components or the audience. It allows us to feel we are part of a world that might not exist anymore. What I like most about the film is how it embraces a passion for living.

There is much to be admired about the technical aspects of the film as well. It travels back and forth in time, with a structure that is hard to describe but a joy to watch as it shows how the main relationships were born, developed, and eventually were transformed into something more spiritual. The music is haunting and quite suitable to the delicate relationships, and the photography makes everyone and everything lovely, dreamlike at times.

The film will live on and will eventually be regarded as a classic. It deserves it so.