Star studded 'Steel Magnolias'
filled with fluff, not substance
By Ken Nolan
f nt ore Contributor
l.ikc main poorly made hlins with big -t.i i ■
>/(•(■/ \t,if{lU)li.i> the star■ studded \ersi.m nl tin
(lit plav. is sure to he immensely popular at the
lio\ offit e
The film is about six southern belles and the
friendship which keeps them together, anil "I
course, the problems which threaten to tear them
apart The stars in the him are Sally Field. Slur
lev Mael.aine. Dolly I’arton ()lvui|iia Dukakis
l)ar> l Hannah and |nlia Koherts One i an aline i
hear lieket stubs tearing.
I’he relationship surrounding tiles, women
seems to revoke around I'.irton’s ban and beauty
salon yy here the women tome to meet and talk
and make fun of ear li other
File dialogue between the characters is
toned, false and surface based I'liese women
seem to lie crammed full ot one liners and othei
little jokes yrhich do absolutely nothing hot tii kle
the audieni e
Dnfortunately the dialogue is suc h tiiat om
never really gets to kooyy these characters, only
then lips yyliiih constantly spoilt contrived and
burlesque jokes, usually at others expenses
Instead of real charar ters the audieni e i an
f(*(m tor. vvr <m* ton r ifd c.irii.dUirrs Daryl ft.m
n, ill is I hr quirky ,iml sin religious zealot. ()lvm
pin Dukakis is the outspoken rii h \v idoyy who li.is
something to say about everyone and Shirley
Macl-aine is Ihr i ookv craz\ old woman with the
mangey dog and .1 had attitude
What we end up with is a smattering ol col
orful and overpowering personalities which are
so i lit and dr\ . so one w av or-the other that thev
hei ome not only predic table hut quite tiresome
The direi lor would hav e been better oft lor
ing cardboard cutouts lor the him These i harm
ters may have worked onstage, but in the intimate
realm ol lilm they are one-dimensional
The plot twist iti the him is simple vet inter
esting Julia Roberts, who plnvs Sally Held's
beautiful diuhehi daughter, has lived a life ol hi'
ing protei ted and i nred tor by her mother
Iield must tit-.il with letting her daughter be
i nnn1 her ois 11 person free Imm being ilolfil
upon luit sin tnnls it haril to ,n i i pt that KoImtIs
new husband will do .1 good joh ol taking 1 .0 ot
her halw Fhe scenes w itli I ield anil Roberts are
tense emotional, and altove all believable
When Roberts has a seizure I'ielil is 1 aim
anil assertive anil one 1 an almost see tin fusion
hehinii these two t harai ters the seals anil seals
ol I ield Utkins; 1 are of her daughter
()tie inlt*reslins! scene 011 ills when Robert
has her hair iiohheil W hen she ... hei --h rt ii.m
in the mirror she doesn't knoss whether to hate it
or I ike it. and begins to 1 is
Her taie and altitude alters into that -it a hs>
sear old and l ielil also represses .. Oei
daughter and telling hei hei hail look-. pn-lts
I hese tsso actresses are the onls strolls; p-nut !
tile film ami thes svnrk estlemels '.sell lo;e!lc
Milt ol course as soon as this relationship
gels interesting. in steps Dolls Part on 01 Shtrles
Mail.aim- ssilh a ssills joke sshiili immediatels
brings the Idm hat k to the surtai e level on which
it operates
The interesting stors com erns the relation
slop between inothei and daughlei and set the
ainllem e mils gets to see about live minute ot it
before .mother sugars sweet witticism i thrown
onto the sc reen
The audience never gets le see wli.it mails
keeps these women togelhei never csperienees
one moment of re.il friendship Ml we get is .1
hum ll of sc riles whli ll .in- predlc t.ihle .Hid hoi II
l>l\ overdone
rhe.se c h.ir.ic lers .ire so 1 olortul .mil zealous
th.il I lies seem to he In mg ill .1 world of In pel rr
.lilts . .111 <11 termite universe where people t.ilk re.il
loud in enuntrs accents. sw ing their .irrns .1 lot
and s.n a lot of gosh d.tin goofs tilings l m not
sure where this pl.ee e is hut its not planet I nrtli
Its almost as it Steel Magnolias lacks the
courage to live up to its real sloi\ the him is so
light hearted and sincere that one 1 annul find the
c oarse underside of the stem the interesting part
through all the fluff and pink flowers
i utirlfst I’holi
S/it/ Magnolias' stars Dulli I’.irton. S.1//1 lirld. Daryl Han
nah. slurln Ma< I amr. I)l\ni/n.i Dukakis. and Itilia Kohvrls
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