Firm Friends Weather Stormy Times in Steel Magnolias

I’ve been making very good use of my Netflix Instant Viewing account these last couple of months due to frequent bouts of long-distance synchronized movie viewing. While the selection in that format still isn’t nearly as good as it is through the DVD program, plenty of classic movies are available, among them Steel Magnolias, one of those films I’d always heard of but never really knew much about.

Steel Magnolias revolves around sweet but defiant Shelby, played by Julia Roberts. A sickly Southern belle, she knows that having a baby could wreak havoc on her health, but she is determined to be a mom, and the wedding that occurs near the start of the movie is soon followed by a pregnancy, much to the aggravation of her overprotective mother M’Lynn, whom Sally Field portrays just as forcefully as she does Forrest Gump’s spunky mama.

Surrounding these two is a circle of supportive women that includes feisty Truvy (Dolly Parton), a silver-tongued hairdresser; naive Annelle (Daryl Hannah), a newcomer to town in search of herself; and bickering old friends Clairee (Olympia Dukakis) and Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine). Truvy’s colorful colloquialisms are always good for a chuckle, and it’s fun to see how Annelle’s look changes from season to season, but the most entertaining member of this close-knit group is Ouiser, who revels in her own grouchiness.

While there are several men of significance in the movie, particularly Shelby’s husband Jackson (Dylan McDermott) and laid-back dad Drum (Tom Skerritt), these female friendships really form the core of the movie. The performances are all very strong, and the setting almost feels like a character itself as we see the town at several different times, gorgeous in its own way in each. Easter and Christmas are particularly memorable in the way they relate to the events in the lives of the characters.

Steel Magnolias is one of those movies containing a mix of genres. At times it feels very much like a comedy, but it also has powerfully dramatic moments, and the two seem to dance around each other with a striking grace. While the movie is more focused on women, it’s certainly not for an exclusively female audience, and the man I watched it with has long considered it a favorite. I felt acutely aware of my freakish near-inability to cry at movies as the film neared its bittersweet conclusion, but I certainly felt the emotion of several pivotal scenes and laughed heartily at others. I’m glad I can finally check this movie off my Must Watch list and transfer it to my list of films I would be happy to see again.