Dannify Rating: 4/5 stars
Rated R for language and sexual references
Plot: Violet Weston (Meryl Streep) has mouth cancer and pops a lot of pills…partly because she is in pain, and part because she is an addict. Her husband, a writer, kills himself and leaves her in the hands of a Native American home-health aide. When he disappears / dies, Violet’s family rushes to her side to be with her, and that is when the party starts. Barbara (Julia Roberts), Karen ( Juliette Lewis), and Ivy (Julianne Nicholson)–isn’t it cool they all start with Juli–all seem to have some issues with their mom.
Without giving anything away, I must say that this is a serious movie. The trailer makes it look as if it is filled with fun jabs of laughter, but it’s not. There are some funny parts in it. There is one scene at the dinner table that is uncomfortable, but also pretty funny. If you are from the south, you may be able to relate to this. I like how she described bringing up dirty laundry as “truth tellin’.” I don’t recommend you watch this around young ears. There are lots of F and C bombs being dropped. Lots of name calling (of course I laughed at the names…may have to use some myself one day).
A lot of big names in this movie too. All played amazing roles. Fun fact: Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney reunite on-screen. They played co-starring roles in My Best Friend’s Wedding. Meryl Streep is always great.
I wish the ending was a little different. You may want to get some Kleenex and possibly some Xanex, as it may stir up some deep-rooted issues that you have with your own family! I am not going to give it away, but I would love to hear what you think.