Fried Green Tomatoes (Extended Cut)
3/4
Starring: Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary Louise Parker, Jessica Tandy, Kathy Bates, Stan Shaw, Cicely Tyson, Gailard Sartain
The Extended Cut is not rated, but the theatrical cut is rated PG-13 (for language, thematic material and some violence, I guess)
"Fried Green Tomatoes" is a good old Deep South melodrama with tragedy, romance and all sorts of stuff that comes straight out of a soap opera. Which is what the movie, based on the novel "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" by Fannie Flagg (who co-wrote the script) is. The difference is that the acting is strong and the story is effectively told.
Evelyn Couch (Bates) is a frumpy and depressed housewife. Her husband, Ed (Sartain), would rather sit in his chair with a beer and watch whatever game is on instead of spending time with her. One one of the many days Ed drags her to the nursing home to visit his aunt (who despises Evelyn so much that she throws whatever she can at Evelyn for just saying hello). Having hit rock bottom, she sits in a chair where she meets an old woman named Ninny (Tandy), who begins telling her a story about a murder that happened when she was growing up. She backs up, explaining that the story won't make sense unless Evelyn knows the characters, specifically the fiery Idgie Threadgoode (Masterson), whose close friendship with Ruth Jamison (Parker) brought about the violent turn of events.
In the best of these movies, the acting is strong. Mary Stuart Masterson is quite good as the tomboyish Idgie. She's tough and stubborn, but always likable. Ruth is calmer and quieter, but by no means is she a door mouse. Jessica Tandy is lively and energetic as Ninny, making it easy to believe that Evelyn would come back to visit this woman she hardly knows just to hear more of her story. Kathy Bates is the best of the quartet as the woman who gains strength to be her own woman after being inspired by Idgie.
The film is likable, but it takes a while to get going. The biggest problem is that it lacks a strong sense of nostalgia. Director Jon Avnet (who was behind Al Pacino's monstrosity, "88 Minutes") appears to be holding back in an attempt to avoid being too melodramatic. What he forgets is that these movies are built on that.
"Fried Green Tomatoes" is popular in the LGBT crowd, and that doesn't surprise me. The relationship between Idgie and Ruth is so close to being romantic that it's impossible to ignore. I kept waiting, even hungering, for them to finally admit it to themselves and others. Just kiss already, I thought.
This is not a perfect movie ("The Notebook" did something similar to better effect), but it represents solid entertainment.
Starring: Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary Louise Parker, Jessica Tandy, Kathy Bates, Stan Shaw, Cicely Tyson, Gailard Sartain
The Extended Cut is not rated, but the theatrical cut is rated PG-13 (for language, thematic material and some violence, I guess)
"Fried Green Tomatoes" is a good old Deep South melodrama with tragedy, romance and all sorts of stuff that comes straight out of a soap opera. Which is what the movie, based on the novel "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" by Fannie Flagg (who co-wrote the script) is. The difference is that the acting is strong and the story is effectively told.
Evelyn Couch (Bates) is a frumpy and depressed housewife. Her husband, Ed (Sartain), would rather sit in his chair with a beer and watch whatever game is on instead of spending time with her. One one of the many days Ed drags her to the nursing home to visit his aunt (who despises Evelyn so much that she throws whatever she can at Evelyn for just saying hello). Having hit rock bottom, she sits in a chair where she meets an old woman named Ninny (Tandy), who begins telling her a story about a murder that happened when she was growing up. She backs up, explaining that the story won't make sense unless Evelyn knows the characters, specifically the fiery Idgie Threadgoode (Masterson), whose close friendship with Ruth Jamison (Parker) brought about the violent turn of events.
In the best of these movies, the acting is strong. Mary Stuart Masterson is quite good as the tomboyish Idgie. She's tough and stubborn, but always likable. Ruth is calmer and quieter, but by no means is she a door mouse. Jessica Tandy is lively and energetic as Ninny, making it easy to believe that Evelyn would come back to visit this woman she hardly knows just to hear more of her story. Kathy Bates is the best of the quartet as the woman who gains strength to be her own woman after being inspired by Idgie.
The film is likable, but it takes a while to get going. The biggest problem is that it lacks a strong sense of nostalgia. Director Jon Avnet (who was behind Al Pacino's monstrosity, "88 Minutes") appears to be holding back in an attempt to avoid being too melodramatic. What he forgets is that these movies are built on that.
"Fried Green Tomatoes" is popular in the LGBT crowd, and that doesn't surprise me. The relationship between Idgie and Ruth is so close to being romantic that it's impossible to ignore. I kept waiting, even hungering, for them to finally admit it to themselves and others. Just kiss already, I thought.
This is not a perfect movie ("The Notebook" did something similar to better effect), but it represents solid entertainment.
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