Absolutely Fantastic

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Fantastic movie about life, with some of the best acting I have ever seen.

wasted cast for such a bore. too neurotic a mother-daughter relationship worthless of showing. vulgar language and shouted insults are totally unnecessary and irritating. highly disengaging and unattractive. overall it is slower than a tortoise, dropping attention instead of building momentum.it must have been a pretty good magnet to work with miss Meryl, especially for the Brits (i.e. Ewan Mcgregor and Benedict Cumberbatch), otherwise they should have stayed home doing some gardening.overall, this is another movie with dark blue lighting, a lot of car rides only because gas is cheap and plenty of door slamming and furniture banging. skip it and you will be just fine.

August: Osage County takes an outstanding script and layers in an A-list ensemble cast at the top of their game. The result is a compelling, complex narrative with gripping performances, that talks to the universal experience of family, growing old, and hypocrisy. When aging alcoholic grandfather Bev passes away suddenly, the extended family gather for the funeral and old grievances are aired once more, along with revelations that both delight and disappoint. Streep ranges from lost to laser-like vitriol, plausible in every beat, while Roberts is immense, completely dispensing with her American sweetheart persona, managing to go through the whole film without smiling once. The ensemble cast performances are all flawless, though the writing flags with one character, a playboy boyfriend included mostly for comic effect. His sports car blasting of pop tunes driving to a funeral seems inauthentic rather than idiotic, and his predatory motions towards a teenage girl seems forced and plays out with no surprises whatsoever. It is a surprising one-note caricature in a gallery of rounded, identifiable and all too human characters. The film is peppered with painfully accurate moments, in particular a resplendent dinner scene where the tensions boil over spectacularly. A story that will resonate universally, told simply and elegantly. Superb.

August-Osage County is about a large family from Oklahoma who, following a family crisis, return to the house where they were raised and to the dysfunctional matriarch who raised them.It was adapted from a stage play, (and it shows) and is an acting 'tour de force' from what undoubtedly is an 'A' list ensemble.I have never been a particular fan of Meryl Streep, as in my opinion, just about everything she has starred in since the fabulous Deer Hunter back in 1978 has been played 'over the top'.I can never divorce myself from the idea that here is a very talented actress, cleverly acting her heart out, with spot-on accents and all the mannerisms and histrionics that may be required, but in doing so, she somehow fails to get into the skin of the character she is supposed to be portraying and to make her a 'real' person.But I really did like her in August-Osage county – in my view one of her best ever performances and utterly believable. I also very much liked Julia Roberts in this movie who was nominated for best supporting actress Oscar. Roberts' role in August-Osage County has far more depth and range to it and is far more deserving of an Oscar than her role in Erin Brockovich. (For which she won best actress Oscar).I actually quite enjoyed August-Osage – it is full of drama, black humour and some fascinating twists and turns; but if you are looking for murder, mayhem and fast-flowing action then this definitely is not the movie for you.