When you put two of the biggest names in Hollywood history in a house together, you expect fireworks. You want the Oscars, the high-octane drama, and maybe a little bit of scenery-chewing. That’s exactly what happened when the meryl streep julia roberts movie, known formally as August: Osage County, hit theaters in late 2013.
But honestly? A lot of people walked away feeling like they’d just been through a physical brawl. And in some ways, they had.
The movie is a brutal, sun-bleached look at the Weston family. They’re a mess. Meryl Streep plays Violet, a pill-popping, mouth-cancer-stricken matriarch who wields her "truth-telling" like a serrated knife. Julia Roberts is Barbara, the eldest daughter who is basically white-knuckling her way through a failing marriage while trying not to become her mother.
Most people remember it as "that movie where Meryl and Julia fight at a dinner table." But there is a lot more to the story than just some A-list shouting matches.
The Dinner Scene That Nearly Broke the Cast
If you’ve seen the movie, you know the scene. It’s the centerpiece of the entire story. The family sits down after a funeral, the heat is sweltering, and Violet starts picking everyone apart. It’s uncomfortable. It’s long.
Actually, it took three days to film.
Streep was "driving" that scene for hours on end, staying in character even when the cameras weren't specifically on her. Julia Roberts has mentioned in interviews that it was one of the most exhausting things she’s ever done. There’s a moment where Barbara literally tackles Violet to the ground to take her pills away. That wasn't just movie magic—Roberts said Streep was surprisingly strong, and they were really scuffling on that floor.
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The interesting thing is how they handled the tension. To keep from actually hating each other, the cast lived together in Oklahoma. Well, sort of. They stayed in nearby housing, and Meryl would host potluck dinners.
Imagine this: after a day of screaming at each other and filming scenes about addiction and suicide, the whole cast—including Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Margo Martindale—would go to Meryl’s place. She’d whip up a casserole or a soup. Julia would bring a side dish. They’d rehearse the next day’s lines over wine. It was like a weird, functional family version of the dysfunctional one they were playing.
Why the Ending Still Sparks Arguments
One of the biggest misconceptions about the meryl streep julia roberts movie is that it's a direct copy of the play. It isn't. Tracy Letts, who wrote the original Pulitzer Prize-winning play, also wrote the screenplay, but the transition to film changed the "flavor" of the ending.
In the original stage version, the ending is pitch-black. Barbara leaves, and the play ends with Violet alone with the housekeeper, Johnna. It’s devastating.
When they tested that ending for movie audiences, people hated it. They felt like they’d been hit with a hammer. Director John Wells decided to add a beat where we see Barbara driving away, looking out at the Oklahoma plains.
- The Stage Ending: Focused on Violet’s total isolation.
- The Movie Ending: Focused on Barbara’s potential escape.
Is it a "happy" ending? Not really. But it shifted the perspective from the mother to the daughter. Critics still argue about whether this "softened" the story too much, but honestly, after two hours of the Weston family, the audience probably needed a breath of fresh air as much as Barbara did.
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Realism vs. Melodrama: The Critical Divide
The movie currently sits with a "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the reviews were wildly split. Some critics called it a masterclass. Others, like Stephanie Zacharek, felt it was "too much Streep."
There's a specific kind of acting that happens in August: Osage County. It’s big. It’s theatrical. Because the source material is a three-hour play, the dialogue is dense and poetic in a way people don't actually talk in real life.
Streep’s performance is polarizing. She does a lot with her mouth—clicks, sighs, and slurred speech—to show the effects of the chemotherapy and the pills. Some found it distracting. Others found it hauntingly accurate.
On the other hand, Julia Roberts was widely praised for being the "ground" of the movie. She’s the one the audience clings to. Her performance earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, while Streep picked up a nod for Best Actress. Neither won, but the fact that they both landed nominations shows just how much the industry respected the sheer effort they put into those roles.
What You Should Watch For (The Small Details)
If you’re going back to rewatch it, or seeing it for the first time, keep an eye on the house itself. The production design is incredible. The windows are covered in plastic and dark film because Violet wants to keep the heat out and the darkness in.
It feels claustrophobic for a reason.
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Also, pay attention to the soundtrack. The song "Lay Down Sally" by Eric Clapton pops up, and it’s one of the few moments of levity. It’s used to show how the characters try to mask their pain with nostalgia, even when everything is falling apart.
How to Get the Most Out of the Film
Watching this movie is a bit of a marathon. It’s not a "background" movie. To really get it, you have to lean into the discomfort.
If you want to dive deeper into the world of the Westons, here is the best way to do it:
- Watch the movie first to appreciate the performances of Streep and Roberts.
- Read the play by Tracy Letts. The stage directions and the cut dialogue (like the scenes between the character Jean and the housekeeper Johnna) add a lot of context to why the family is so broken.
- Check out the "making of" features. Hearing Julia Roberts talk about the "potluck" culture on set makes the on-screen vitriol feel a lot more like a feat of acting and less like real-life misery.
Ultimately, the meryl streep julia roberts movie isn't about likable people. It’s about the "genes" we can’t escape and the secrets that eventually boil over. It’s messy, loud, and exhausting—just like a real family reunion.
The best way to experience the impact of August: Osage County is to compare the film's ending with the original script's final moments to see how Hollywood's need for "closure" altered Tracy Letts's original vision of total isolation.