Admirable film.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I liked to be entertained. There's no denying that. Whether stage, screen or social media, if you entertain, you'll leave me with a smile on my face. Between stage and screen, screen is my top priority. Not that I'm bashing theatre at all, the artistic merit put into these productions are well crafted and carry a great level of energy to linger on inside of you. But when plays and musicals evolve onto the big screen I like to see if they are able to successfully transition themselves and capture the same amount of applauds to the bigger audience as they did with the smaller crowds. From 1989, "Steel Magnolias" successfully went to that direction to where everything was located in one particular setting and bringing camera crew to film it in multiple settings in a two hour duration.Set in a small village in Louisiana, the opening scenes are on the eve of Shelby Eatonton's (Julia Roberts) wedding to Jackson Latcherie (Dylan McDermott). She and her mother M'Lynn (Sally Field) go and get their hair done at a local salon owned by Truvy Jones (Dolly Parton). Joining them are their friends Clairee Belcher (Olympia Dukakis), Ouiser Boudreaux (Shirley McLaine) and spend the day talking about town life and the latest gossip. Joining them is Truvy's newest employee, Annelle Dupuy Desoto (Daryl Hannah). Picking up from their conversations we learn that Shelby and Jackson have had their differences lately and that Shelby is a diabetic. We also get the invitation to explore further into the lives of these women in both their happy and sentimental times. but through all their trials and tribulations, they are always there for each other like sisters of different age groups.Granted, the average movie fans are more infatuated with high adrenaline and stories with complex plots. And I'm part of that majority as well, But it's still a welcome to have simplistic stories that come around from time to time with characters we can easily invest in. Through a series of vignettes, we can get a better understanding of the characters and find a likeness through each and everyone of them without falling victim to any elaborate plot twists. The reactions of these women's lives whether good or bad are absolutely priceless. And though the focal character in this film is around Shelby, their really is no leading performer as each character has their moments in the sun.The original play was situated solely in Truvy's salon, but the movie freely locates the settings to other public venues in the outskirts of the small town in Louisiana like a carnival, a church and a hospital. But the majority of the film is still at Truvy's which was based on the play by Robert Harling who also wrote the screenplay this movie is based on. The dialogue as whole is very memorable with plenty of humour and at times can also be touching. But when these women collaborate, they touch upon a myriad of topics, some of may be gossip, but nothing cringe worthy, but a lot of their subject matter is on life and love. Sure the talk presented here is done with sincerity whether talking about others or themselves, but it helps prevent itself from just being another face in the crowd when it comes to chick flicks. But the nice thing about "Steel Magnolias" is that it never portrays Southerners in a negative way. They're loving and caring individuals and they don't come across as illiterate or racist.Though a far cry from anything considered a masterpiece, "Steel Magnolias", it is too dependent on dialogue from Herbert Ross, it's still a clever story that is never bogged down with clutter. The acting was very impressive with a variety of emotional depth from Sally Field and Shirley McLaine being the scene stealer is quite notorious at being. If there was one real red herring about this movie was the unnecessary use of the epilogue as the curtain closed. I liked the message of hope it delivers to you, but we really needed a more uplifting happy moment after an incredibly emotional third act. But instead the movie cops out by injecting ideas of another movie in the making instead of just wrapping up the film and letting the characters move forward in their lives. In spite of that shortcoming, "Steel Magnolias" has aged gracefully to create a great story with larger than life characters with memorable quotes one will remember once the credits begin.

There are a couple reasons why everyone should watch this movie.First, Steel Magnolias is led by a strong female cast whose snappy and comedic dialogue are enjoyable to watch. Their performances are so raw and believable that it's a shock to learn that only Julia Roberts was nominated for an Oscar.The supporting cast is full of wonderful characters from Dolly Parton (Truvy) (she's so cute!), Olympia Dukakis (Clairee) and Shirley McLaine. McLaine was my favorite as Ouiser, a sarcastic, grouchy, two-time widow. Daryl Hannah was the one weak point within the tight group. Hannah's performance was spot on, but I found her character exhausting and annoying at times. Roberts was lovable as Field's daughter Shelby, whose Type One Diabetes casts a somber cloud over the otherwise cheerful movie.Second, the story is adapted from the play written by Robert Harling (The First Wives' Club). Harling's inspiration for the story came from his own tragic real-life experiences of dealing with his sister's sickness and eventual death.Third, Sally Field. Field is fantastic as Robert's strong and overprotective mother, M'Lynn. Field's monologue at the end gave me the chills, it was perfect representation of what M'Lynn was going through. It's enough just to watch the movie for that one scene. I have not seen many of her movies so I didn't realize how incredibly talented she is. I really really like her, I really do.Throughout the movie, I got confused with the time jumps and what was going on during some scenes. Sometimes the next scene jumps ahead a couple of years and I wouldn't realize it until the next scene. Other than that issue, I really have no complaints. The cinematography, hairstyling (the southern big puffy hair), and the acting by everyone (even the men) was perfect for this chick flick.A heartwarming and charming tearjerker, Steel Magnolias is a movie that everyone has to see at least once. Highly recommended. 8 out 10.

Granted, this is a movie from the 80s, but it's rather overly silly and annoying. I'm sorry, but it really was. There were some good moments, some woman kinship and whatnot, but it just didn't connect. I think it's me though… My woman kinship bits might be broken. It's not completely out of the question, I'm not big into female family Yaya Sisterhood stuff, where woman moan and groan and act all unreasonably crazy.I'm a bit too cynical. I guess because there were some deep moments, but mostly predictable and uncalled for… because there was no reasoning behind them. Also, I don't really care for the huge gaps of time with the poor transitioning.I guess this gripe just has to do with the semi-high expectation since Sally Fields and Julia Roberts is in this film and it just wasn't that spectacular. But with that said, give it a try if you are interested, because at this point in time I think I'm just being picky.

The setting of "Steel Magnolias" is in a small town Louisiana. The movie mainly takes place in a beauty parlor owned by Truvy (Dolly Parton). Some of Truvy's regular clients like to come into the parlor to gossip, just like women from the South. Truvy does Shelby's (Julia Roberts) hair on the day of her wedding, making her look so beautiful that it causes Shelby to almost faint, but really she almost faints because of her diabetes, so they give her a glass of orange juice to make her feel better. Truvy hired a woman, Annelle (Daryl Hannah), to do M'Lynn's (Sally Field) hair. M'Lynn is also Shelby's mother. There are also two other women waiting at the beauty parlor to get their hair done. Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine) who is the wealthiest/meanest women in Louisiana and Clairee (Olympia Dukakis) who is a nice widowed women. All of these six women become very good friends throughout this movie. They have obstacles to face, for example, a major event that happens is that Shelby has diabetes and then gets pregnant which M'Lynn objects to because it can cause major problems to her body. It causes one of Shelby's kidney's to fail. So M'Lynn gives Shelby one of hers, but in the end it doesn't turn out good. Throughout this movie no matter what happens, the women all stick together and help each other through hard times."Steel Magnolia's" was released on November 15, 1989 and directed by Herbert Ross. This movie is about six women who become best friends who have times of happiness and sadness. The women make funny jokes and laugh with each other, but when something terrible happens they are always there for each other to make each other feel better.The reason I like the movie "Steel Magnolias" so much, is because it is such a good movie that makes me laugh, but at the same time makes me cry. I believe that "Steel Magnolias" fits the title just right. The women are tough like steel, so they can face any obstacle that comes there way, but as gentle as a magnolia flower.