I was very nervous about this adaptation because I loved the play so much. I saw it 6 times on Broadway, and was really worried about Julia Roberts taking on the Amy Morton role.
Julia Roberts, while no Amy Morton, acquits herself nicely, and does some of her best acting in years. However, this is Streep's movie, and she really sinks her teeth in to the part. The dinner scene stands out as a really strong moment (and always was one of my favorites in the play). She is totally unrecognizable in the first few scenes, and tears threw them brilliantly.
Tracy Letts does a nice job adapting his work for the screen. Everything is very faithful to the original material, but more opened up for the big screen. There is an addition to the end that i didnt't care for, but overall I thought everything worked really nicely.
The biggest surprise for me was Benedict Cumberbatch. He took a very minor character who was never someone I liked onstage, and made me care about him.
Margo Matindale was the casting I was most excited about for this film and she totally delivered. She is an excellent Mattie Fae, and i hope that she can score a supporting nod.
Overall, I think this is easily one of the best films of the year, and I can't wait to see this again.
Yes, Jordan, it was a rough cut. pic and sound had a few minor issues. (and then the projector bulb blew out and the film stopped for twenty minutes.) But when I got this I honestly hadn't realized they had finished filming it!
Juliette was fine. She was definitely well cast for that part, but it was never one of my favorites in the play. I thought she was solid, but she gets swallowed up by all of the showier roles.
I LOVE Margo Martinedale! I'm so glad she got a good review. I wish she'd work more but she's always been on the sidelines. Do you think she'll get nominated?
Odd that they'd have a screening this early and have it be as open to the "public" as this seemed to be. Was it at a theater or in a random screening location?
If you search "August Osage County" on Twitter, there are a bunch of tweets from people who went. There are a handful who say it's a bit of a mess, but nearly everyone has positive things to say about the performances.
Margo really could at the very least snag a nomination. It is far to early to look at her competitors, but I see this a repeat for the Weinsteins next year with all major actors at least getting a nomination. This is such a stronger ensemble piece than Silver Linings in my opinion, but if Jacki Weaver can get a nomination for 5 minutes of screentime, Margo certainly deserves to for a much more fleshed out part.
This was a test screening. There are a few companies that run these, but the one that did this one was Neilsen.
Here is the website for them www.movie-view.com
They did tell the audience that we were the first to see it. There was a survey afterwards and a focus group for a smaller group. There were a lot of people there who had seen the play, and they were pulling people who had into that group to do a pre and post survey.
It was an interesting night because when the projector broke, I ran out to the restroom, and was almost ran over by Harvey Weinstein who was NOT happy.
I still really enjoyed the film even though it was a fragmented viewing experience. It was an excellent representation of the play and the material holds up so well. If half the plays I saw on Broadway were even a fraction as good as August, Broadway would be a better place.
"There is an addition to the end that i didnt't care for, but overall I thought everything worked really nicely."
Curious about this. As it was, I thought the play should have ended about 30 seconds before it did, with Barbara tacitly leaving and Violet alone downstairs looking for her family, or perhaps even with Violet midway up her long ascent which could possibly end with finding some comfort in Johnna's room. For me, Violet's reaching Johnna and finding that comfort didn't achieve nearly the same endnote power as the beats immediately leading up to it coulda (shoulda woulda blah blah).
Of course, what's right for the movie could be a very different question.
On a note which expresses a more prevailing point of view, the dinner scene was always one of my favorites too, Dave.
Anyone looking for a potential spoiler do no read further.
SPOILERS:
Henrik, the new ending goes something like this.
Barbara leaves the house, leaving Violet calling out to family members, and ultimately see her go upstairs just like in the play and cry into Johnna just like in the play.
Where it differs is the film inter-cuts this with Barbara driving away in her truck. The final scene of the film is Barbara pulling off the road and crying. She looks off into the field and the end credits roll.
Interesting, Dave. I think I can begin at least to see what perhaps they were trying to accomplish; of course I can also see how this might not be satisfying. I'll try - as I ususally do, often with little success - to keep an open mind.
I hope Julia Roberts is more than "fine" in this movie. Amy Morton's performance was possibly my favorite that I've ever seen, and I think Roberts has it in her to dig deep. I just don't want it to be Violet's story, yes she has the showy role, but I think Barbara and Violet should be equals by the end of the play. I cannot wait for this movie. I think I already love it without having seen a single frame. The cast is to die for.
I do have to say that Julia did surprise me. It is such a great part for any actress and she definitely sinks her teeth into it. She looks almost unrecognizable and really delivers for the most part.
Yet, for me, I will always have Amy Morton in my mind in that part. I don't think there was anything Julia could have done to change that. Still, she definitely changed the way a lot of the line readings, and made the role her own.
I think she has a definite shot at a nomination here.
Dave, that's very encouraging. Roberts definitely "went there" in CLOSER (ridiculous that the AMPAS didn't nominate her). To hear you say that she "looks almost unrecognizable" is great, as I was hoping she'd find ways to be transformative rather than rely on her star persona. That makes me so excited to see her go head to head with Meryl. The poster on AwardsDaily said Ewan McGregor didn't have much to do, what did you think about his performance? I was hoping he'd be able to get nominated for this but it's not looking like it.
I have to agree. Ewan is ok, but there just isn't much of a part there for him to work with. I feel like if he got nominated it would akin to Jacki Weaver.
As far as the men go, Sam Shepard was mesmerizing in the opening monologue, and really made an impression on me.
Chris Cooper was also pretty great.
Ewan definitely gets a bit lost in the fray to no fault of his own.
Why the hell are people always so surprised at Julia's acting abilities? It's not like this is her second film and her first was a Lifetime movie. That really kind of pisses me off.
Jordan, I didn't think the role was out of her range, but I did think she was miscast in the part. When I say I was surprised, I mean that she was able to overcome that and really make it her own.
Perhaps Dave means that he believes Julia was miscast but triumphantly redefined the role, like many (including myself and Truman Capote) believed Audrey was miscast as Holly Golightly but redefined the role so well that it doesn't even matter.
Or perhaps, more likely, he means that while she seemed (to him) miscast, she was - to your point - not miscast at all. In other words, the fact that she wouldn't be convincing as Amy Morton (as Barbara) was mistakenly confused with her not be convincing as Barbara.
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joined:12/8/07
Posted: 3/19/13 at 12:30am