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Daily Archive: 22/10/2014

Wednesday

22

October 2014

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COMMENTS

Steel Magnolias

Written by , Posted in Reviews

I have not watched this movie in years. I’m not going to say it ‘holds up’ in that it is timeless, but it does, in a way, hold up. The decor gives away the decade (80s), but the clothing … not so much. Shelby’s honeymoon suit could be found, more or less, in any department store these days. And although the hairstyles are dated, the shirts that the guys are wearing could be found at American Apparel. It’s weird.

The story is as dramatic as I remember, and man, the dialogue is super cheesey but it’s also super awesome. I’m finding that I remember so many of the lines. I mean, I’m pretty sure at least once a holiday season I ask someone if they have a reindeer up their butt. Even the lines that are just too over the top somehow work. Maybe it’s because I first saw this when I was really young so I didn’t bat an eye at so much sincerity in one place.

There are obviously some problems with it (for example, the only black people in it were housekeepers or wedding guests). But it’s really cool to think about this as a movie that explores not just mother-daughter relationships, but relationships among older women. I mean, look at that cast. These are women in their 40s and 50s, and they have conversations about silly things and real things. I don’t know how the film was marketed when it originally came out, but as I get older I appreciate it more.