Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley

Steel Magnolias – 4 Stars (Excellent)

It isn’t often that a guy could get pulled into a movie about a bunch of women sharing their lives, loves, hopes, dreams, struggles and tragedies in a beauty shop, but Steel Magnolias reeled me in like bait on a fishhook.

Maybe it was because I am a sucker for relationship movies that undress and expose our psychological strengths and weaknesses, and human dynamics as we interact with others.

Maybe it was because I am always so impressed by a movie that sends a meaningful message by capturing my heart, and then playing it slowly like a maestro conducting an orchestra.

Perhaps it was an act of pure voyeurism to see exactly what a bunch of cackling women do and say when behind closed doors, and out of the earshot of men.

Or better yet, the performance of Julia Roberts who netted an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress as Shelby, and won a Golden Globe Award in the same category. Or the performance of Sally Field who was nominated for a Best Actress Golden Globe as M’Lynn, Shelby’s mother.

Or the performance of Shirley MacLaine who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award as Ouiser Boudreaux. Did I mention that Steel Magnolias was filmed in Louisiana? In the small town of Natchitoches, a lovely setting that could easily take you back to rural America of yesteryear.

Sally Field should have been nominated for an Oscar, and Shirley MacLaine for a Golden Globe. They were both that good.

Let me not forget the additional outstanding acting performances of Olympia Dukakis as Clairee Belcher, Tom Skerritt as Shelby’s dad Drum, Daryl Hannah as Annelle, and even Dolly Parton as Truvy Jones, the beauty shop proprietress.

It was said that after a poor take, director Herbert Ross reprimanded Dolly Parton and asked her if she could act, to which Dolly replied, “No, but it’s your job to make me look like I can.” You have to love Dolly Parton; she has no illusions about her acting ability and still remains Dolly, very confident in what she can do.

Steel Magnolias was released in 1989 and written by Robert Harling, who wrote the play “Steel Magnolias” in honor of his sister who died after surgery. All of the great acting in this movie started with the great writing of Robert Harling. The play ran for 136 performances on Broadway.

This movie has been classified as a “chick flick” but the designation does the film a great disservice. The moniker ignores the great writing, great direction, great acting and great music that make up the total presentation of this excellent movie. I was about a third of the way through the film when I noticed the great musical background by composer Georges Delerue; it was stunning and compelling.

Steel Magnolias runs the gamut of human emotions—from sheer happiness to delightful comedy to sharp wit to grave concern and the tragedy of a mother’s worst nightmare. Through thick and thin, it transmits the importance of family and true friends as a support group that women cannot do without.

Shelby is really the centerpiece of interest. It is she who is about to be married, and much of the early going on centers around preparations for the exciting ceremony. Shelby is also a diabetic before we had insulin. Her mother wants her to adopt children rather than conceive.

Shelby opts to get pregnant, feeling that she “would rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.” She seeks her mother’s support but does not get it. The ordeal that unfolds is heart-wrenching, but it is also why you should see Steel Magnolias.

I promise you that if you are a woman, you will not get through this film without laughing your heart out, and crying your heart out. Heck, I’m a guy normally in complete control of myself and my emotions, and I almost lost it.

The title to Steel Magnolias has been said to suggest that the main characters are delicate as magnolias but tough as steel, even though the movie does not make it obvious. The title reminds me of Aubrey Andelin’s book Man of Steel and Velvet.

This movie and the characters in it are not pretentious. Trust me when I say that all of those names like M’Lynn, Truvy, Ouiser, Clairee, Drum and Shelby originate in the South. These are down home people, living out their lives on their terms, not society’s.

Steel Magnolias is an excellent film because it answers my most salient question in watching any film: Am I a better person for having seen this movie? In this case, it is a resounding yes. Do not leave this planet without seeing Steel Magnolias. Life is never easy, but it is rewarding.

My mother used to say, “It’s a great life if you can stand to live it.” Man, was she right.