August What?
Osage County.
And what is it?
It’s a film, based on a play by Tracy Letts, who wrote Killer Joe – that Matthew McConaughey film from a few years back that featured chicken drumstick masturbation.
Oh yes, how could I forget. Who’s in August Osage County?
It’s got Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Abigail Breslin, Juliette Lewis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dermot Mulroney…
OK, officially impressed. Anything else going for it?
Well, Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts have just been nominated for Oscars for their performances in it. Will that do ya?
Oh Julia Roberts ♥ ♥ ♥. Where’s she been?
Well, there was Eat Pray Love…
NEXT
Then Mirror Mirror, that Snow White thing with Lily Collins in?
Hmm, didn’t see it.
Well anyways, she’s back in this.
And what’s it about?
OK so, Meryl Streep is a crotchety old mother with mouth cancer and a pills addiction. When her husband goes missing she calls her family to her side. These include her daughters – played by Julia Roberts and Juliette Lewis and her nephew – Benedict Cumberbatch. Problem is, no-one really likes her, mainly because she’s maniacal and hooked on drugs. Unsurprisingly, things disintegrate, family politics come into play and all hell breaks loose.
Interesting. What are the grown-up film critics saying about it?
The Washington Post: 'With her (Meryl Streep’s) performance as Violet Weston, the venom-spewing matriarch of an extended family that includes three grown daughters, the actress may have outdone herself.'
The Telegraph: 'Streep plunges into Violet's nuclear psyche so ferociously that there's a slight danger of forfeiting our sympathies for good.'
Entertainment Weekly: 'The film is a contraption that spreads its darkness like whipped butter on a roll.'
And what are we saying?
It’s ace. Meryl Streep is ace. Julia Roberts is ace. Juliette Lewis is ace (have a listen to this interview she did last week on the Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo Film Review Show and fall in love with her all over again). The whole thing is an exercise in family politics that’ll make your Christmas look like a walk in the park. Watch out for the blowout dinner scene too – definitely not one to try in your own home. Also, Benedict Cumberbatch playing someone a bit ‘simple’ after Sherlock? Odd, but actually quite comforting.
Best seen with?
Your mum. Serves as a nice reminder that she’s probably actually a bit of a hero.
Follow Jess on Twitter @jess_commons
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.