Steel Magnolias

For other uses, see Steel Magnolias (disambiguation).

Steel Magnolias
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Herbert Ross
Produced by	Ray Stark Andrew Stone Victoria White
Written by	Robert Harling
Starring	Sally Field Dolly Parton Shirley MacLaine Daryl Hannah Olympia Dukakis Julia Roberts Tom Skerritt Dylan McDermott Kevin J. O'Connor Sam Shepard
Music by	Georges Delerue
Production company	Rastar
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release dates	November 15, 1989 (1989-11-15)
Running time	117 minutes^[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$95,904,091^[2]

Steel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy-drama directed by Herbert Ross. It is the film adaptation of Robert Harling's 1987 play of the same name about the bond a group of women share surrounding the family experience during the death of the playwright's sister, Susan Harling Robinson in 1985. The title suggests the main female characters can be both as delicate as the magnolia flower, and as tough as steel.^[3]

Plot

Annelle Dupuy (Daryl Hannah), a recent beauty school graduate, is hired by Truvy Jones (Dolly Parton) to work in her home-based beauty salon in northwestern Louisiana. M'Lynn Eatenton (Sally Field) and her daughter, Shelby (Julia Roberts), arrive at Truvy's to prepare for Shelby's wedding which is taking place later that day. Clairee Belcher (Olympia Dukakis), the cheerful widow of the late former mayor, arrives as well. While having her hair done, Shelby, who has type one diabetes, falls into a hypoglycemic state but recovers quickly after having some orange juice. M'Lynn explains Shelby was recently informed by doctors that she should not have children because her body might not withstand childbirth.

Later that afternoon, Ouiser Boudreaux (Shirley MacLaine) arrives in the salon and questions Annelle about her past, forcing Annelle to reveal that her husband Bunkie Dupuy is a dangerous criminal on the run from the police. Moved by Annelle's emotional confession, Shelby invites Annelle to the wedding, where Annelle meets Sammy.

Several months pass and Shelby returns to town to celebrate Christmas. During the festivities she announces that she and her husband Jackson Latcherie (Dylan McDermott) are expecting their first child. Shelby's father Drum (Tom Skerritt) is thrilled, but M'Lynn is too worried to share in the joy. Even when Shelby confesses that she hopes the arrival of a baby might make her marriage a little easier, M'Lynn is unable to rejoice. Truvy, Annelle, and Clairee had originally thought that Shelby couldn't have children, but on the night of the big announcement, M'Lynn clarified for them that the doctors said Shelby shouldn't have children because of her diabetes, and that there is a very big difference. Ouiser then says that "this baby is not exactly great news," meaning Shelby could actually die in childbirth because of her diabetes. Unable to give her any words of wisdom, Truvy suggests they focus on the joy of the situation: Jackson and Shelby's first child, as well as Drum and M'Lynn's first grandchild, as well as their boys, Jonathan and Tommy's first nephew. M'Lynn agrees, saying that nothing pleases Shelby more than proving her wrong.

Shelby successfully delivers a baby boy, Jackson Jr., but begins showing signs of kidney failure and starts dialysis around the time Jackson Jr turns one. M'Lynn successfully donates a kidney and Shelby seemingly resumes a normal life. Clairee and Ouiser offer to make sure that M'Lynn's husband, Drum, and their sons, Jonathan (Jonathan Ward) and Tommy (Knowl Johnson), have enough food to last until M'Lynn returns home after the transplant. Later, on Halloween, Ouiser, Clairee, Truvy, and M'Lynn throw Annelle a surprise wedding shower. Shelby is unavailable to attend, due to a conflicting schedule with her nursing job, and is later found unconscious on the porch of her house.

Shelby is rushed to the hospital, where it's determined that her body rejected the new kidney, sending her into a coma. The doctors inform the family that Shelby is likely to remain comatose indefinitely, and her family and husband jointly decide to take her off life support. At the funeral, after the other mourners have left, M'Lynn breaks down in hysterics in front of Ouiser, Clairee, Truvy, and Annelle but is comforted by the other women.

Later, at the wake, M'Lynn begins to accept her daughter's death and focuses her energy on helping Jackson raise Jackson Jr. Annelle, who is now married and pregnant, asks M'Lynn if she could name her own baby after Shelby, since Shelby was the reason Annelle and her husband, Sammy (Kevin J. O'Connor), met. M'Lynn agrees, and assures Annelle that Shelby would love it. Months later, on Easter morning, Annelle goes into labor during an Easter egg hunt, is rushed to the hospital by Truvy and her husband Spud (Sam Shepard), and another life begins.

Cast

ACTOR	CHARACTER	RELATIONSHIP
Sally Field	Mary Lynn "M'Lynn" Eatenton	Jonathan, Tommy, and Shelby's mother; Drum's wife, Jackson's mother-in-law and Jack Jr's maternal grandmother
Dolly Parton	Truvy Jones	Beautician; Spud's wife, and Louie's mother
Shirley MacLaine	Louisa "Ouiser" Boudreaux	Neighborhood friend/"curmudgeon"
Daryl Hannah	Annelle Dupuy-Desoto	Newcomer; Beautician, wife of Sammy
Olympia Dukakis	Clairee Belcher	Neighbor friend; former first lady, sister of Drew Marmillion, sister-in-law of Belle Marmillion, and aunt of Marshall and Nancy Beth Marmillion.
Julia Roberts	Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie	Drum and M'Lynn's daughter, Jonathan and Tommy's sister, Jackson's wife, and Jack Jr's mother.
Tom Skerritt	Drum Eatenton	M'Lynn's husband, Shelby, Jonathan & Tommy's father, Jackson's father-in-law, and Jack Jr's maternal grandfather.
Sam Shepard	Spud Jones	Truvy's husband and Louie's father.
Dylan McDermott	Jackson Latcherie	Shelby's husband, Jack Jr.'s father, Drum and M'Lynn's son-in-law, and Jonathan and Tommy's brother-in-law.
Kevin J. O'Connor	Sammy Desoto	Annelle's Husband
Bill McCutcheon	Owen Jenkins	Ouiser's former boyfriend
Ann Wedgeworth	Aunt Fern Thornton	Jackson's aunt
Knowl Johnson	Tommy Eatenton	Drum and M'Lynn's son, Jonathan and Shelby's brother, Jackson's brother-in-law and Jack Jr's maternal uncle.
Jonathan Ward	Jonathan Eatenton	Drum and M'Lynn's son, Tommy and Shelby's brother, Jackson's brother-in-law and Jack Jr's maternal uncle.
Ronald Young	Drew Marmillion	Clairee's brother, husband to Belle, and father of Marshall and Nancy Beth
Bibi Besch	Belle Marmillion	Drew's wife, mother of Marshall and Nancy Beth, and Clairee's sister-in-law
Janine Turner	Nancy-Beth Marmillion	Drew and Belle's daughter; Clairee's niece, Marshall's sister
James Wlcek	Marshall Marmillion	Drew and Belle's son; Clairee's nephew, and Nancy Beth's brother
Tom Hodges	Louie Jones	Truvy and Spud's son
C. Houser	Jackson Latcherie, Jr. (1 year old)	Jackson and Shelby's son, Drum and M'Lynn's maternal grandson, and Jonathan and Tommy's maternal nephew.
Daniel Camp	Jackson Latcherie, Jr. (3 years old)	Jackson and Shelby's son, Drum and M'Lynn's maternal grandson, and Jonathan and Tommy's maternal nephew.

Background

The original play described the experience of the family and friends of the play author Harling following the 1985 death of his sister from diabetic complications after the birth of his namesake nephew and failure of a family member donated kidney. A writer friend continuously encouraged him to write it down in order to come to terms with the experience. He did but originally as a short story for his nephew the latter to get an understanding of the deceased mother. It eventually evolved in ten days to the play.^[4]^[5]

Production

Released by Tri-Star Pictures in the United States on November 15, 1989 and grossed more than $83.7 million at the box office. Harling's first produced screenplay, he adapted the original film script which was then heavily rewritten beyond the on-stage one set scenario of the stage production: the scenes increased and the sequence was more tightly linked with major holidays than the play; the increased characters beyond the all original female play cast caused dialogue changes between on-screen characters (among them, Harling playing the preacher and Truvy has one son instead of two). Natchitoches, Louisiana served as both the 1989 film location and scenario location^[6] with historian Robert DeBlieux, a former Natchitoches mayor, as the local advisor.^[7]

Reception

It received mixed-to-positive reviews and has 65% on Rotten Tomatoes."^[8] An example of a less enthusiastic critic was Hal Hinson of The Washington Post, who said that it felt "more Hollywood than the South."^[9] An example of a more enthusiastic critic was Roger Ebert, who said that the film was "willing to sacrifice its over-all impact for individual moments of humor, and while that leaves us without much to take home, you've got to hand it to them: The moments work."^[10]^[11]

The movie received a limited release on November 15, 1989: entered the U.S. box office at #4 with an opening weekend gross of $5,425,440; by the time of wider release two days later it grossed $15,643,935; stayed in the top 10 for 16 weeks, gross $83,759,091 domestically with a further $12,145,000 with foreign markets giving a worldwide gross of $95,904,091.^[12]

Home media

The film was released on VHS on June 19, 1990 and on DVD July 25, 2000, allowing the film to gross a further $40 million.^[13]^[14] The movie's overall gross was $135,904,091. The film was released on Blu-ray through the boutique label Twilight Time, on September 11, 2012.

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
1990	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Julia Roberts	Nominated
1990	American Comedy Awards	Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture	Olympia Dukakis	Nominated
1990	American Comedy Awards	Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture	Shirley MacLaine	Nominated
1990	Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Shirley MacLaine	Nominated
1990	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama	Sally Field	Nominated
1990	Golden Globe Awards	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture	Julia Roberts	Won
1990	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture	Steel Magnolias	Won
1991	BAFTA Awards	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Shirley MacLaine	Nominated

Julia Roberts' first ever AMPAS nomination (Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress) losing to Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot).^[15]

Adaptation - television

CBS broadcast on August 17, 1990 a half hour television pilot sitcom sans Shelby's character as the story line was post death. The cast: Cindy Williams as M'Lynn, Sally Kirkland as Truvy, Elaine Stritch as Ouiser, Polly Bergen as Clairee and Sheila McCarthy as Annelle. CBS cancelled further broadcast.^[16]

Remake 2012

Main article: Steel Magnolias (2012 film)

Lifetime Television Network announced (October 10, 2011) a planned remake under the direction of Kenny Leon, director of the ABC movie A Raisin in the Sun (2008), set in Louisiana^[17] featuring lead role black actors: Queen Latifah (M'Lynn), Jill Scott (Truvy), Alfre Woodard (Ouiser), Phylicia Rashād (Clairee), Adepero Oduye (Annelle) and Condola Rashād (Shelby).^[18]^[19] The New York Times had mixed reactions: applauded it on some points and on others as either schmaltz or less attentive than the 1989 film.^[20]