You remember that feeling when the August Osage County film trailer first dropped back in 2013? It was weirdly electric. You had Meryl Streep in a grey wig looking absolutely exhausted and Julia Roberts screaming in a field. It promised a masterpiece. It promised the kind of family drama that makes your own Thanksgiving look like a peaceful retreat. Honestly, looking back at that trailer now, it’s a fascinating case study in how Hollywood tries to package "prestige misery" as a must-watch event.
Trailers are basically liars. They have to be. They take a three-hour play turned two-hour movie and condense it into 120 seconds of punchlines and high-stakes gasping. But with August: Osage County, the trailer actually did something right. It captured the sweat. It captured the Oklahoma heat. If you haven't seen it in a while, it's worth a re-watch just to see how they managed to fit Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Chris Cooper into a montage without it feeling like a crowded elevator.
The Anatomy of a Perfect Tease
When the first August Osage County film trailer hit the web, the buzz was all about the "dinner scene." You know the one. Meryl Streep’s character, Violet Weston, is high on pills and truth-telling, and she’s just dismantling her entire family. The trailer editors knew exactly what they were doing. They gave us the "Eat the fish, bitch!" line early. It’s iconic. It’s the kind of line that wins Oscars, or at least gets you a nomination.
But here’s what’s interesting: the trailer makes the movie look like a dark comedy. And it is, kinda. But the actual film is way darker than the trailer lets on. The trailer uses that upbeat, slightly quirky acoustic guitar track that was everywhere in the 2010s to make it feel like a dysfunctional family romp. In reality, Tracy Letts—who wrote the original play and the screenplay—writes stories that are more like a punch to the gut.
The trailer had to balance that. It had to convince people who loved the Pulitzer Prize-winning play that the movie wouldn't ruin it, while also convincing casual moviegoers that they weren't just signing up for two hours of people yelling in a dark house. It succeeded because it focused on the faces. Every frame of that trailer is just another A-list actor looking devastated.
Why the Casting in the Trailer Mattered
Most trailers for ensemble dramas feel messy. This one didn't.
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- Meryl Streep: The trailer centers on her transformation. It shows the mouth cancer, the wig, the trembling hands. It shouts "ACTING" with a capital A.
- Julia Roberts: We see her as the grounded one, the foil to Meryl’s chaos. The trailer highlights their physical confrontation, which was the big selling point.
- The "New" Faces: At the time, Benedict Cumberbatch was just starting his massive ascent. Seeing him as "Little Charles," a sensitive, stuttering man-child, was a huge draw for the burgeoning internet fandoms.
What the August Osage County Film Trailer Left Out
Trailers are notorious for "tonal shifting." If you watch the August Osage County film trailer and then go straight into the movie, you might be surprised by the sheer amount of silence. The film is lonely. The trailer is loud.
One thing the trailer barely touches on is the backstory of the father, Beverly Weston, played by Sam Shepard. His disappearance kicks off the whole plot, but the trailer treats him almost like a ghost. It focuses instead on the aftermath. It omits the more incestuous or truly "gross" elements of the family’s history to keep things palatable for a PG-13 or R-rated audience looking for a holiday release.
There’s also the matter of the ending. No spoilers here, obviously, but the way the movie concludes is significantly more bleak than the "family coming together" vibe the trailer occasionally hints at. That’s the marketing trick. They want you to think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel so you’ll buy the ticket.
The Technical Brilliance of the Edit
Let’s talk about the cuts. The August Osage County film trailer uses a specific rhythm. It starts slow—panning shots of the plains, the heat haze, the old house. Then the dialogue starts to overlap. The pacing picks up. By the end, the cuts are happening every half-second. It mimics a panic attack.
- The sound of a plate breaking.
- A door slamming.
- A sharp intake of breath.
These aren't just random sounds. They are "stingers." They are designed to trigger an emotional response. When you see Julia Roberts tackle Meryl Streep in the trailer, the sound drops out for a second. That silence is more powerful than a loud bang. It makes you lean in.
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Does it hold up?
Honestly? Yeah.
A lot of trailers from 2013 feel dated now. They have those big, booming "In a world..." type vibes or they use terrible pop songs. But because August: Osage County is a period piece of sorts—set in a very specific, timeless version of rural Oklahoma—it feels fresh. The trailer focuses on human emotion, and that doesn't really go out of style.
Lessons for Film Lovers and Creators
If you’re a film student or just someone who loves the industry, studying the August Osage County film trailer is actually pretty useful. It shows how to market "theatrical" material to a cinematic audience. Plays are stationary; movies need to move. The trailer uses sweeping shots of the Oklahoma landscape—cinematography by Phedon Papamichael—to prove this isn't just a filmed stage production.
It also teaches a masterclass in hierarchy. Not every actor gets equal screen time in a two-minute clip. The trailer establishes a clear pecking order: Streep, then Roberts, then everyone else. This tells the audience exactly whose story this is. It avoids the "ensemble trap" where you don't know who to care about.
Fact-Checking the Production
A lot of people think the movie was filmed on a set in LA. Nope. They actually went to Bartlesville and Pawhuska, Oklahoma. The heat you see on the actors' faces? That wasn't just spray bottles. It was genuine. When you watch the trailer again, look at the sweat on Ewan McGregor’s shirt. That authenticity is what makes the trailer feel so heavy. It feels lived-in.
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The movie was produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov. Their fingerprints are all over the marketing. They specialize in these kinds of "adult" dramas that feel like they belong in the 1970s. The trailer reflects that—it’s gritty, it’s grounded, and it’s uncomfortably intimate.
How to Experience August: Osage County Today
If the August Osage County film trailer has you feeling like you need a dose of high-octane family dysfunction, there are a few ways to dive deeper. Don't just watch the movie and call it a day.
- Read the Play: Seriously. Tracy Letts’ original script is even sharper and meaner than the movie. It’s a masterpiece of modern American theater.
- Compare the Trailers: Look at the "Teaser" vs. the "Official Trailer." The teaser is much more atmospheric. The official trailer is where they added the "funnier" bits to make it seem less depressing.
- Watch the Behind-the-Scenes: There’s some great footage of the cast living together during filming. They stayed in the same housing complex to build that "family" resentment. It worked.
The August Osage County film trailer remains a high-water mark for 2010s drama marketing. It didn't need explosions or superheroes. It just needed a dinner table, a few secrets, and the greatest actress of a generation telling her kids exactly what she thinks of them.
Sometimes, that’s more than enough.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’re looking to analyze or enjoy this film further, start by watching the trailer on a high-quality platform like YouTube to catch the subtle sound design choices. Follow that by viewing the film with the director's commentary by John Wells. It provides incredible insight into how they adapted the "unadaptable" stage play for the screen. Lastly, if you’re a writer, take a look at the "Eat the Fish" scene in script form. It’s a perfect example of how to build tension through dialogue alone without relying on visual gimmicks.