Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (film)
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| Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood | |
|---|---|
 Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood film poster |
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| Directed by | Callie Khouri |
| Produced by | Bonnie Bruckheimer Hunt Lowry |
| Written by | Rebecca Wells (novel) Mark Andrus |
| Starring | Sandra Bullock Ashley Judd James Garner |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | June 3, 2002 |
| Running time | 116 min |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ~ $27,000,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is a 2002 film directed by Callie Khouri. It is based on the novel Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, written by Rebecca Wells.
[edit] Plot
- Tagline: Mothers. Daughters. The never-ending story of good vs. evil.
"Divine Secrets" opens with an introduction to the Ya-Yas as little girls, forging the alliance of friendship and officially giving it the name "Ya-Ya."
Next we see playwright Siddalee Walker, on the verge of releasing her newest play, interviewing with Time Magazine in which she expresses some opinions of her unhappy childhood. Of course, the reporter takes Sidda's only minor complaints and turns them into dark secrets about her parents.
Her mother, Viviane Joan Abbott Walker, sees the article, and is extremely offended by it. Like any true drama queen, she launches a war with Sidda, both trying to prove that the other is out of their mind. She takes down all the pictures of Siddalee in her house, and indicates that she never wants to see her daughter again. She refuses to talk to Siddalee, even when Siddalee sends her a wedding invitation — though the date of the wedding is cut out, and torn up tickets to her play.
Siddalee has difficulty understanding her mother's behavior until she is visited in New York City by three of her mother's friends: Aimee "Teensy" Malissa Whitman, Denise "Necie" Rose Kelleher, and Caroline "Caro" Eliza Benett. The four ladies had created the 'Ya-Ya Sisterhood' in their youth as a token of their close friendship, which has lasted through the years. In one sequence, they kidnap her from her fiancé, Connor McGill (with his blessing) using "Roofies", and tell her of her mother's troubled life.
The rest of the movie consists of flashbacks to the Ya-Yas as little girls, as young women, and then as young mothers including a young Siddalee. The story is truly one of friendship and strong (and eccentric) Southern women. Sidda learns of her mother Vivi's own difficult childhood with a bitter mother and the loss of the first great love of her life. In between we are let in on some of the fun that came with being associated with these very vivacious women. In the end the Ya-Yas explain the true details behind some of Sidda's painful memories and she seems to find an acceptance and understanding of her mother. Meanwhile, we also see Vivi's journey to deal with her painful issues and become the mother she always wanted to be.
Through the assistance of the three friends, Siddalee gains an understanding of her mother's behavior, and her mother gains a greater understanding of herself and her daughter.
[edit] Cast
| Role | Actor |
| Siddalee "Sidda" Walker | Sandra Bullock |
| Viviane Joan "Vivi" Abbott Walker | Ellen Burstyn |
| Aimee Malissa "Teensy" Whitman | Fionnula Flanagan |
| Caroline Eliza "Caro" Bennett | Maggie Smith |
| Denise Rose "Necie" Kelleher | Shirley Knight |
| Shepard James "Shep" Walker | James Garner |
| Connor McGill | Angus Macfadyen |
| Grandma "Buggy" Abbott | Cherry Jones |
| Teenage Viviane "Vivi" Abbott Walker | Ashley Judd |
| Teenage Aimee Malissa "Teensy" Whitman | Jacqueline McKenzie |
| Teenage Caroline Eliza "Caro" Bennett | Katy Selverstone |
| Teenage Denise Rose "Necie" Kelleher | Kiersten Warren |
| Teenage Shepard James "Shep" Walker | David Lee Smith |
| Genevieve Whitman | Gina McKee |
| Jack Whitman | Matthew Settle |
| Young Siddalee 'Sidda' Walker | Allison Bertolino |
