Director: Bruce Beresford
Starring: Diane Keaton, Sissy Spacek, Jessica Lange, Tess Harper, Sam Shepard
Running Time: 105 minutes
Synopsis: In the small town of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, the three Magrath sisters reunite. The insecure Lenny (Diane Keaton) never married and still exhibits immature behaviour. The brash Meg (Jessica Lange) moved her life to Hollywood in pursuit of a singing career. And youngest Babe (Sissy Spacek) may suffer from mental health issues and has just shot her husband. The siblings reminisce about their mother, who committed suicide when they were young, and grapple with their snooty cousin Chick (Tess Harper). Meanwhile, a young lawyer crafts Babe's defence strategy and Meg considers reigniting a romance with the now-married Doc (Sam Shepard).
What Works Well: The attempt to tackle the insidious and often poorly understood impacts of mental health issues is laudable, and Sissy Spacek's performance touches delicate heights of comic fragility.
What Does Not Work As Well: Writer Beth Henley adapts her own play and struggles to find cinematic notes, resulting in a fairly colossal waste of a dream cast. The dialogue is weighed down by theatricality, and neither Diane Keaton (almost ridiculous in her mannerisms) nor Jessica Lange (carrying a singular jaded attitude throughout, mostly focused on lighting cigarettes) ever find their footing. With the forced acting close to the surface and the attempted funny moments registering high cringe readings, director Bruce Beresford's customary efficiency generates neither empathy nor momentum.
Key Quote:
Chick, shouting: I've just about had my fill of you...trashy McGraths! And your trashy ways!
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