August: Osage County

August: Osage County (2013) starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Margo Martindale, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholson, Sam Shepard. The all-star cast is almost reason enough to see this movie about a dysfunctional family in Oklahoma. When the patriarch of the family (Shepard) kills himself, all the daughters (Roberts, Lewis and Nicholson) return home to be with their mother (Streep). The mother, who has mouth cancer, proceeds to rip everyone in the extended family with vicious criticisms under the guise of "telling the truth." Streep and Roberts are excellent as the mother and daughter who practically can't stand the sight of each other. The rest of the cast is close behind, with every performance clearly delineating one of the characters in the extended family. This film is well written, with dialogue that regularly cuts to the quick. Sometimes it's not pleasant to watch, but it ultimately rewards the viewer with deep insights into what makes a family so dysfunctional. I liked it. (English subtitles for the hearing-impaired are available on the disc.) Grade: A-