Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard) lives with his wife Violet (Meryl Streep) and newly-hired nurse/housekeeper Johnna (Misty Upham) in rural Oklahoma. Violet has mouth cancer, and is a very opinionated woman who doesn’t really seem to like anyone she comes across.
When Beverly goes missing (not for the first time, either), Violet contacts the rest of the family, who come to support her. First to arrive is daughter Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), as she lives the closest.
Shortly after, daughter Barbara (Julia Roberts) arrives with her estranged husband Bill (Ewan McGregor) and teenage daughter Jean (Abigail Breslin).
When Beverly’s body is found in a nearby lake (an apparent suicide) the rest of the family also make their way to the family home for the funeral and other arrangements.
Violet’s sister Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale) arrives with her husband Charlie (Chris Cooper), and is followed by their son Charles (Benedict Cumberbatch).
Last to arrive is youngest daughter Karen (Juliette Lewis), along with her fiancé Steve (Dermot Mulroney) who has already been married three times before.
The rest of the film I will leave for you to discover for yourself, but I will just tell you that the remainder of the film involves all kinds of family secrets and closeted skeletons, few of which you will see coming.
As mentioned above, this is based on a play that did quite well when it was on Broadway. Tracy Letts has written the screenplay himself, so obviously, the film is very similar to the original play.
As with a lot of films based on stage plays, the majority of the action takes place in only one location, namely around the family dinner table.
The script is incredibly tight, but at the same time, filled with an awful lot of dialogue. The amount of dialogue isn’t a problem as it is very good, I only mention it in passing, really.
All of the cast are fabulous in their respective roles, with the clear standout being Meryl Streep (surprise, surprise). Julia Roberts is also excellent as the eldest daughter, who carries a lot of the burden of the family herself (whether or not this is justified I will leave up to you to decide).
The score (by Gustavo Santaolalla) works well when it is present, which is not often. The primary focus of this film seems to be on the dialogue, which should come as no surprise as it is based on a play (I know I’ve said it a couple of times already, but it is abundantly clear at every moment as you watch the film).
The film is overall incredibly confronting, and will give you plenty to think about long after the final credits scroll.
Director John Wells has done an incredible job of bringing this brilliant play to the screen. I would definitely recommend watching this film if you haven’t done so yet (in fact, I think I may even watch it again myself very soon; there is so much in there to think about, and I think one would notice different things on each subsequent viewing).
8 1/2 out of 10.
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