August: Osage County Review

Director: John Wells
Written by: Tracy Letts
Starring: Meryl Streep, Sam Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Margo Martindale
Time: 121 Minutes
Release Date: 24th January



The Weston Family consists of Beverly and Violet Weston and their three daughters. When Beverly disappears the family reunites at their childhood home along with Violet's sister, the sister's husband and son. It turns out to be an explosive, toxic and unavoidable drama for the next couple of days.

The audience is invited to the funeral of Beverly Weston and we are given an exclusive insight into the dysfunctional family carrying resentment, bitterness, ignorance and no love.

As one can imagine from a cast consisting of Sam Cooper, Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts; the performances are incredible.  Meryl Streep however takes it to another level, and it is not hard to imagine the faces of her cast members during shooting. They must have been standing there in awe because she is impeccable. She demands the attention throughout the film, and will take you through laughter, tears, sympathy and disdain.

Benedict Cumberbatch is slightly miscast as the clumsy cousin of the three main sisters. He is a goodhearted boy but receives endless abuse from his mother. Ewan McGregor fits perfectly in the very American cast but his fellow Brit stands out and for all the wrong reasons.

Due to its origin in theater - August: Osage County can afford to have a few melodramatic twists and turns. the never-ending revelations might become ridiculous to some but are presented and performed in such a way that they induce shock and pity in the audience than pure disbelief and disappointment.
We are thrown into the family situation in the midst of their misery and just when we think salvation may be near, the family crumbles further before our eyes. As it turns out, the Westons are a family which is forever crumbling.

Do not be fooled by the lighthearted trailer. August: Osage County deals with the realities of families head on. No embellishment is needed, when the sufferings of middle children, widowed and abandoned wives and abused children are depicted. It also follows the new wave of films which refuse to establish a fate and ending for their characters, and instead we watch and wonder over their future long after the film is over.