So I was quite reserved when I heard that it is going to be adapted into a movie. I had seen plays that didn’t work when being adapted and “Rabbit Hole”, another of my favourite plays, was one of them. People were trying to convince me that it should be fine as Tracy Letts is doing the adaptation, but so was “Rabbit Hole”, which was adapted by the original playwright too. Nonetheless, I have expectations for “August: Osage County” as it has helmed by a cast of Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. With that in mind, my concerns were eased a bit.
So here comes the movie. The verdict? In my opinion it was every bit as good as it was in the play. Surely it is a different cast but somehow the cast managed to translate an extraordinary piece of theatre experience onto the silver screen. Tracy made some tweaks around the original play to make it work with the screen, which I think were quite appropriate. I particularly like the fact that Tracy ended the screen version in the way that I originally thought it should be when I saw the play two years ago at the Wharf when the American production came over.
Meryl Streep playing the matriarch who lives her life at the expense of the happiness of every single person in the family was well and truly toxic. Her despicable ways of spitting out words with contempt with ease made the character truly alive and intolerable. How she uses her knowledge about the family as ammo and detonates land mines right at the exact moment to emotionally blackmail each and every one of them was just spectacularly played. Julia Roberts as the eldest daughter who though she escaped the calamity only to find herself clearing up both hers and the family’s issues was very well played. It is not the usual Julia Roberts you see. Personally I think it is one of the best works she did since Erin Brockovich. It seems that it needs a real strong and speaks her mind character for Julia to bring out her potentials. Facing Meryl Streep is not an easy game and without a doubt Julia Roberts upped her game significantly in “August: Osage County”.
“August: Osage County” is about the women in the household. Each female role was given some great moments to shine. Julianne Nicholson who played the daughter with the middle child syndrome was neatly portrayed. Her reservation about her life in order to protect herself and survive in this extremely aggressive and inquisitive family was a great contrast to Meryl’’s and Julia’s characters. Juliette Lewis playing the youngest daughter was comparatively weaker as the character does not really offer a lot of range comparing to the dynamic duo that her elder sisters provided. Margo Martindale as the outspoken and equally mean Mattie Fae was as expected a scene-stealer. However it was the scene between her and Chris Cooper, who played her husband Charlie that cemented the defining moment for both of these characters. This scene also set the stage for Mattie’s subsequent explosive confession.
Apart from the main and major supporting characters, “August: Osage County” also commands a stellar cast of smaller roles. By this I mean smaller roles play by some well-known names in the industry. It is great to see Ewan McGregor has in recent years gone back to his roots and do some interesting drama based movies. Though his role as Julia’s husband was limited it was still entertaining to watch when he and Julia confronted each other’s demons. Abigail Breslin who played Julia and Ewan’s daughter Jean put a charm and at the same time attitude to this 14 year old “can’t wait to grow up and can do no wrong” character. I personally like Abigail as she tends to choose more interesting projects as compared to her child star counterparts. Also she added depth to the characters she played most of the time. Sam Shepard who opens the movie and set the stage of it performed a pivotal role with great precision. Although his opening monologue was significantly cut as compared to the original play, he still managed to capture the tone in just a few lines and set the mood for the rest of the movie. As for Benedict Cumberbatch, I personally think that he was there for the rising star factor as his role was minimal in both the play and the movie.
“August: Osage County” is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you are not into heavily text based driven story, you would find it hard to swallow. It is unlike any of the standard American dramedy or comedy as physicality takes a back seat in this production. However, if you are into something that requires you to read (or listen) between lines to surprise yourself “August: Osage County” could certainly satisfy your appetite. As for me, I would trade two hours of my life for a great production as such in a heartbeat.
