On paper, “August: Osage County” looks like a no-brainer awards season behemoth. Based on prize-winning source material? Check. All-star cast? Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Sam Shepard, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Ewan McGregor, Abigail Breslin, Dermot Mulroney and Margo Martindale…so hell yes. An exciting director? John Wells. Okay, so two out of three ain’t bad. The end result? Well…
The first trailer for the ensemble dramedy has arrived and it’s…respectable we suppose. The story follows the women of the Weston family, whose lives have splintered in many directions until their alcoholic father’s disappearance brings them back to their childhood home and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. And while Streep gets a meaty role as the Weston clan matriarch, and the generations-spanning cast does offer some potential, this all feels rather…familiar? There just doesn’t seem to be any particular wow factor here aside from the names involved, but perhaps this ensemble piece is hard to cut into into a two minute piece of advertising.
At any rate The Weinstein Company believes they have a contender, and never count out Meryl. “August: Osage County” opens on November 8th.
I have alot of great memories from my childhood in that house.
What's wrong with John Wells? Company Men was great.
I sense The Royal Tenenbaum 2.0 after watching this trailer. Agree?
Don't know what the problem is. Trailer looks great.
I sure hope Letts gives this story the same kind of ending that Killer Joe had.
strict character dramas that don't have a violent or shocking turn are only sellable in a trailer with the cast, olive branch festival lists and critic's quotes … when I start reading reviews would be when I would decide to see it or not.
Read the play. There isn't anything "respectable" about it. The Streep and Martindale characters are both EVILLLLLLLLLLLL and Letts constructs effective reversals and emotionally violent scenes. The trailer is deceptive, but that's fine, I guess, because it doesn't spoil anything, which is refreshing in and of itself. Streep and Martindale are locks for nominations (Actress and Supporting Actress, respectively), and an against-type Cumberbatch might sneak into the Supporting Actor category. And what the hell is with the dig against Wells? The guy created 'E.R.' and 'Company Men' had solid craftsmanship, which is rare.
This article doesn't even mention the most important thing about the project, that the source material and screenplay are by Tracy Letts, the genius behind "Killer Joe."
Another Streep movie, another Streep "accent."
Typical.
meryl wins again 🙂
day lewis won best actor 3 times
tom hanks might win for Captain Philips
only god forgives is too violent
elysium is too cult
mud is too malick
It took a while to recognize Ewan McGregor because of the crappy quality of the video.