Sigh. I just loved this movie. The more time goes on, I find more and more things to love about Steel Magnolias. It’s not fancy or over-stated or filled with high-octane speed, but it’s so full of heart and love that the more I realise how wonderful it actually is. And it’s not often I feel that way about a movie, so it must be special.
Based on a stage show by Alabama playwright Robert Harling, the film focuses on a group of female friends in the USA’s deep south. Whilst the focal point of the movie centres on a successful salon run by Truvy (the great Dolly Parton), it details the lives, problems and joys of her friends as they walk through their lives together. It’s also worth noting that Harling also wrote the screenplay (and the screenplay to another of my favourites: The First Wives Club), which doesn’t happen all too often, but it may be part of the reason why the movie keeps the heart it was no doubt penned with in the first place.
June was Julia Roberts month, apparently. Yes, I watched 3 of her films in a row. Varying quality notwithstanding, I regret nothing. I can officially say without reservation that I am now a Julia fan.
Firstly, why did no one WARN ME?! 😭 Steel Magnolias is a movie I knew as a classic despite never having seen it. However, in my dumb head it was just a lovely film about a group of female friends having a nice time (and I now realise that my synopsis probably only fools the reader in the same way). I genuinely cannot believe no one warned me about that storyline. Although it was well-executed, it was just not what I was expecting! Alas, I cannot talk about it here.
Set in a quiet and friendly suburb of Louisiana, there is no doubt that Steel Magnolias is more of character-driven than plot focused. For films like that, you really need a solid cast who can carry it, and is there a more iconic one than this? Honestly, I came into it loving Sally Field (who is phenomenal here, FYI) and Dolly Parton already, but by the end I was obsessed with Shirley MacLaine and Olympia Dukakis. The pair of them are comedy gold and I honestly just wish they were real people so I could be besties with them. This is possibly the greatest female ensemble ever created, there’s no doubt.
There’s something about this film just has great vibes, you know? The set dressing and the colouring no doubt plays a part in that, and the script particularly does fantastically well in that it never feels stagey, which is often the case with films that are adapted from plays. It’s not flashy or action-packed, but it is neatly-packaged and entertaining from start to finish, not to mention the emotional attachment you will garner along the way.
No, Steel Magnolias won’t be making my Top 10 of All Time list, but there’s no wonder it’s remembered so fondly when it’s so full of love and incredible women. Obsessed.
Steel Magnolias is currently available to stream on Sky Cinema and Now TV in the UK.
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