Steel Magnolias

I’ve never seen the original Steel Magnolias film but my wife, who has, tells me that this contemporary version of the film and play is almost word for word. The only thing that seems to have been shortened is the end of the film, which may be due to time constraint seeing as how this version is a made for TV film.

For those, like myself, who have never seen Steel Magnolias, the film follows a group of women whose bond makes them the best of friends as they enjoy life and lean on one another during hard times. Weather it be marriage troubles or health issues, the women always manage to find a silver lining in even the most gray of circumstances.

I’m a bit biased, I absolutely love everything Queen Latifah has done in film and the rest of the cast has popped up on my movie and TV watching radar at some point and I’ve liked what they’ve done, so coming into this film I was instantly comfortable with the cast and was able to become invested in their plight as characters rather quickly.

The film is a drama, and even though a handful of scenes reached a bit too climatic of moments of said drama, overall, I really enjoyed the film. The cast was very natural towards one another, the writing, obviously tested and proved through the years, was well executed by the cast, and it managed to reach all emotional levels without feeling written. I thought it was good and my wife enjoyed it.

Steel Magnolia’s sports an all-star cast including Queen Latifah (Chicago), Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show), Adepero Oduye (Pariah), Condola Rashad (Smash), Jill Scott (The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency), and Alfre Woodard (True Blood).