Odd to term a 1995 film as an 'older movie', but SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT was rather dismissed in its initial release as a bit of fluff: looking at the film now reveals a tight little message movie garnished with a fine writer (Callie Khouri - 'Thelma and Louise', 'Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood'), and first class director (Lasse Hallström - 'Casanova', 'An Unfinished Life', 'The Shipping News', 'Chocolat', 'The Cider House Rules', 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' etc), and a cast that has not only grown in importance from the time of this film but has also become acknowledged as the creme of the cinema.
The story is rather slight: Grace (Julia Roberts) is a Southern Belle horse trainer married to handsome but womanizing Eddie (Dennis Quaid) who discovers to her amazement that Eddie is dating other women. This throws Grace into a rage that affects her family, her family's typical Southern response to appearances, and ultimately awakens not only Grace but also every member of her family to secrets that allow them to take charge of their prettified hollow lives! Grace's sister Emma Rae (Kyra Sedgwick, in yet another of her sensational roles) is a perky, spitfire of a woman who seems to be the only member who has her act together; her mother Georgia (Gena Rowlands) and father Wyly (Robert Duvall) are both able to reveal the old South and the new individuality they achieve; Brett Cullen, Haley Aull, and Muse Watson are all excellent in their roles.
One of the most entertaining aspects of this entertaining film is the confrontation between 'old manners' and new reality - with some heady lessons for all of us to observe and allow chuckles. It is a tight little film that deserves another visit on DVD.
The story is rather slight: Grace (Julia Roberts) is a Southern Belle horse trainer married to handsome but womanizing Eddie (Dennis Quaid) who discovers to her amazement that Eddie is dating other women. This throws Grace into a rage that affects her family, her family's typical Southern response to appearances, and ultimately awakens not only Grace but also every member of her family to secrets that allow them to take charge of their prettified hollow lives! Grace's sister Emma Rae (Kyra Sedgwick, in yet another of her sensational roles) is a perky, spitfire of a woman who seems to be the only member who has her act together; her mother Georgia (Gena Rowlands) and father Wyly (Robert Duvall) are both able to reveal the old South and the new individuality they achieve; Brett Cullen, Haley Aull, and Muse Watson are all excellent in their roles.
One of the most entertaining aspects of this entertaining film is the confrontation between 'old manners' and new reality - with some heady lessons for all of us to observe and allow chuckles. It is a tight little film that deserves another visit on DVD.