"Steel Magnoilias" is by far, one of the best movies ever made. It has everything a great movie is, a great script, an incredible cast, humor, and drama. It takes place in a little Louisianna town, where Truvy's (Dolly Parton's) hair salon is the heart of a relationship between six women- M'Lynn (Sally Field), M'Lynn's diabetic daughter Shelby (Julia Roberts), Annelle (Daryl Hannah), Quiser (Shirley Maclaine), Clairee (Olympis Dukakis) and, of course, Truvy.
The movie opens on the day of Shelby's wedding. We get a look early on at what an acting challenge has been set forth when Julia Roberts character has a diabetic seizure while getting her hair done at Truvy's. The acting is completely dazzling in this movie that has such a simple story.
The six women mostly gossip, which comes natural to women (kidding), so I guess that part isn't so impressive. But it's the beauty in the things they say, and how they say it. Clairee (Dukakis) and Quiser (MacLaine) both have a way with words. One of my favorite lines is at a Christmas party when Clairee says "If you can't say something nice, come sit next to me."
At Christmas is when Shelby tells her mom she's goingto have a baby, and want sher blessing- but M'Lynn is upset, and worried aobut what having a baby willd o to her daughter's body. Sometime after the birth of the baby (Jackson, Jr.), Shelby needs a kidney transplant, and M'Lynn gives her one of her kidneys. The surgery is a success, for a short period of time. Halloween is when Shelby's body gave out, and she was in a coma. After time in the hospital, which M'lynn stayed by her daughter's side reading to her, exercising her legs, and talking to her, trying to show her pictures, Jackson had to make the decision to consent to discontinue life support. It was heart wrenching, and if the waterworks didn't start by this point in the movie, expect them to begin soon.
The absolute best acted scene (and it is hard to choose just one) is in the cemetary. Sally Field does one of the most powerful performances I have ever seen an actress do in any movie. A great line during this scene belonged to Dolly Parton when she told M'Lynn "Honey, I don't know how you're doing on the inside, but your hair is holding up beautifully." And also when M'Lynn exclaims that she just wants to hit someone until they feel as bad as she does. Clairee grabs Quiser, pushing her in front of her and says "Hit this."
The movie closes at Easter time, which is when the movie opened as well, about three years earlier.
The supporting cast included Tom Skerritt as Drum Eatenton, Shelby's dad; and Dylan McDermott as Jackson, Shelby's husband. "Northern Exposure"'s Janine Turner has a small roll as the Christmas Beauty Queen.
I strongly recommend this movie for friends, and families. It is a great film. It is sad, but it has wonderful funny points. This is a well acted film, and will forever be one of my favorites.
Six divas of the silver screen - Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts - come together as bosom...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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