“August: Osage County”
Genre: Drama, Rated R
Writer: Tracy Letts (screenplay and original play)
Year: 01/10/14
Casting done by: IMDbPro (?)
Set Decoration by: Nancy Haigh
INFORMAL ANALYSIS:
Although the characters were exaggerated, the plot points are very clear. It’s believable in a way that I could imagine some of those things happened over and over within that family.
The writer picked significant personality traits then attempted to depict them with one exaggerated event. Great for story clarity and production cost effectiveness.
What I can appreciate about this movie is the writers didn’t feel it necessary to throw in a hot steamy sex scene, rather using lots of innuendo instead. This is the difference between male and female writers, in my opinion. For those who like to look deep into meanings, this still comes from a single gender point of view but handles society issues delicately, while telling the story from the point of view of a family member. This is what draws audience into the story, it’s believability.
Again I was disappointed with the lack of cultural diversity. It did stay on point however, without bringing in politics of the deep south. The story unfolded from a narrowed point of view, like someone who was not well traveled or well rounded. Still it’s lovable and compelling.
Cast includes Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts to name a few. I was unable to locate who picked the cast. On further research; Wikipedia says it was a play first in Chicago, London and Broadway. It seems obvious, word-of-mouth also played a role in the success of this movie. When audience can see the actors up close and personal, it’s more of a bonding experience.
The success of the movie was most likely, the large budget and a credible storyline. To say it’s Oscar worthy, well - not in my opinion. Also, Meryl Streep does have a bit of a cult following.
REFERENCES: IMDb, Rotten Tomaties, .com (08/08/14)
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