Honestly, when you put Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in the same house, you expect fireworks. You expect a masterclass. But when August: Osage County hit theaters in late 2013, it didn't just give us fireworks; it gave us a full-blown house fire.
The Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts movie is a strange beast. Based on Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, it’s a dark, sweaty, pill-popping look at the Weston family in rural Oklahoma. It’s the kind of film that makes your own family drama look like a Disney cartoon. Yet, years later, people still argue about whether it’s a masterpiece of acting or just two hours of incredibly talented women yelling at each other in a hot room.
The Dinner Scene That Changed Everything
If you’ve seen the movie, you know the scene. The "eat the fish" scene. It’s basically the centerpiece of the entire story. Violet Weston (Streep), the mouth-cancer-stricken, drug-addicted matriarch, is "truth-telling" at the dinner table. In her world, "truth-telling" is just a fancy word for being an absolute nightmare to everyone she loves.
Then Julia Roberts’ character, Barbara, finally snaps.
There’s this physical altercation—a literal tackle—where Julia Roberts has to wrestle Meryl Streep to the ground. Roberts later joked in interviews that she was terrified she might actually hurt the greatest living actress. But that’s the thing about this Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts movie; it wasn’t interested in being polite. It was interested in the ugly, visceral reality of generational trauma.
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Why the Critics Were So Divided
Interestingly, despite both women landing Oscar nominations (Best Actress for Streep and Best Supporting Actress for Roberts), the film itself got some pretty lukewarm reviews. Why?
- The Play vs. The Movie: Theater purists hated that it felt "staged."
- The Tone: Some thought it was too bleak to be a comedy but too over-the-top to be a straight drama.
- The "Acting" of it all: A few critics felt Streep was "overacting," while others argued her character’s theatricality was a result of the pills and the character's own narcissism.
I’ve always felt the criticism about Streep being "too much" misses the point. Violet Weston is too much. She’s a woman who has lived her life as the lead in her own tragic opera. If you play her subtly, you aren’t playing Violet.
Behind the Scenes: Potlucks and Oklahoma Heat
You’d think a movie this tense would have a miserable set. It was actually the opposite. To build the family dynamic, the cast lived together in Oklahoma. They weren't staying in separate five-star hotels miles away. They were in close quarters, often gathering at Meryl’s place for potluck dinners.
Imagine being the fly on the wall at a dinner party with Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
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Julia Roberts admitted she was incredibly nervous to work with Meryl. I mean, who wouldn't be? But that friction—that mix of deep respect and the need to "show up" against a legend—is exactly what makes their on-screen relationship so electric. You can feel Barbara’s desperation to both save her mother and destroy her.
The Ending Nobody Talks About
One of the biggest diversions from the play is the ending. In the stage version, the focus stays on Violet. In the Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts movie, we follow Barbara as she drives away. It’s a subtle shift that changes the perspective from the "mother's tragedy" to the "daughter's survival."
A lot of people think the movie is just about a mean old woman. It’s not. It’s about the terrifying realization that we are becoming our parents. When Barbara screams "I'm running things now!", she isn't just taking control of the house; she's adopting the same bullying tactics her mother used for decades.
Real Talk: Is It Worth a Rewatch?
If you haven't seen it since 2013, or if you skipped it because the trailers looked too depressing, you should give it another look. Especially now that we’re in an era where "prestige" acting is often very quiet and mumble-heavy. This is a movie of big choices.
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What to look for during your next viewing:
- The Silence: Watch the scenes where Meryl isn't talking. The way she handles her "fittings" or just stares into the distance is haunting.
- The Ensemble: Don't sleep on Margo Martindale or Chris Cooper. Their subplot is arguably the most heartbreaking part of the whole film.
- The Humidity: You can almost feel the Oklahoma heat through the screen. The production design is top-tier.
Ultimately, August: Osage County stands as a unique moment in cinema where two eras of Hollywood royalty collided. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s deeply uncomfortable. But honestly? That’s exactly what a family reunion feels like for a lot of people.
Next Steps for Film Fans:
- Compare the Mediums: If you can find a recording of the original Broadway cast (with Amy Morton as Barbara), watch it. The differences in how the "eat the fish" scene is blocked are fascinating.
- Check the Credits: Look at the producer list—George Clooney and Grant Heslov. They have a specific "adult drama" style that is all over this project.
- Watch the Interviews: Look up the 2013 press tour videos where Julia and Meryl talk about each other; their mutual admiration is a nice palate cleanser after watching them scream at each other for two hours.