Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, but the book is better!
Review: "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" is one of my favorite books, so I was really excited when I found out they were making a movie. The movie is very good... I went to see it with my own Ya-Yas, which was fun. I'm sure I would have loved it if I hadn't already read the book three or four times, but probably no movie would have measured up to my opinion of the book. It always annoys me when parts of a great book are left out of the movie, and this movie leaves a LOT out (if you've read the book, Pooty Pootwell and Vivi's experience at the convent school are left out, among a lot of other significant things.) But I guess if they'd tried to include every detail in the book, it would have been four or five hours long! Also, I love Maggie Smith and Fionnula Flanagan's characters... they're hysterical and steal the movie. But their Southern accents could have used some work! Ellen Burstyn is wonderful though. All in all, the movie is a must see for women everywhere, not just from the south!If you haven't yet read the books, my advice is to read "Divine Secrets" first. "Little Altars Everywhere" was written first, but there are some really disturbing parts of that book that might turn you off to the whole thing. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: BLAH BLAH
Review: This movie (to long to write) was all right. The acting was pretty good. The standout performance was Ashely Judd. Maggie Smith was also good as was Ellen Burstyn, but here character was really stupid and annoying. Her character was a huge drama queen, but it was way too over-the-top. I do not think a mother would burn and cut out picturesw of her daughter no matter how angry she was with her. Sandra Bullock was pretty good, but her accent kept on appearing heavily and reappearing. Maybe it was supposed to have gone away from living in New York. This movie was also a little long. The movie would have been better if they showed mre with Ashley Judd, because she was really good, and her character was interresting. Also they could have shown the aduld children of vivi's and told whose house sandra bullock was staying in. See this movie if you are dying to see it; otherwise, wait until dvd or video.
Rating: 
Summary: The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood
Review: If you have read the book and loved it, you will LOVE the movie.It shows all of us the true joy of friendship.Also that we can only do the best with what we know.We are all products of our childhoods, but what we choose to do with it , is our choice.Oh how Ilong for hot summer nights, with all the sounds, smells of the ocean, and cold cokes with chips of ice.
Rating:
Summary: Nah!-Nah!
Review: I went to see "Secrets" because of the cast moreso than the story, which I read years ago, and because I could relate to having been raised by a drunken mother I need to forgive. The actors did not disappoint but the story does--it's long and dreary and everything ties up a little too neatly in the end.
I did enjoy seeing (recognizing!) the chemistry between the grandmother and the mother--the horrible jealously and consequential withholding of love and the devastating consequences for the daughter--long blurry rides on the pity paddywagon. But hey, don't invite her to the wedding!!!
Rating:
Summary: YEAH, YEAH FOR THE YA-YAS!
Review: I have just returned from seeing Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood and am already making plans to see this movie again. To sum it up, I LOVED THIS MOVIE and heartily recommend it to everyone. Based on the books Little Altars Everywhere and The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells, this movie is a rare blend of poignancy and comedy performed beautifully by the cast which includes Ellen Burstyn, Ashley Judd and Sandra Bullock. By now many readers are familiar with the story of how Divine Secrets, written and published after Little Altars Everywhere, was sold primarily through word of mouth first by booksellers and then by readers around the country. Appealing to women and their sense of camaraderie, the book was immediately sought after by reading groups and Ya-Ya groups began springing up around the country. Perhaps they were the late 90's answer to the earlier feminist consciousness raising groups but many readers seemed to have a need to get in touch with their feminine side and girlfriends after reading these books. And when plans for the movie were announced, many pleased readers couldn't wait to see how the movie transfered to the screen. While I read and loved Little Altars Everywhere, I held off on reading The Divine Screts of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood for some reason and am now I'm wondering if the book is as good as the movie. In the movie, directed by Callie Khouri who also directed Thelma and Louise, Ellen Busrstyn plays Vivi Walker a Southern belle from Louisiana and one of the Ya-Yas. The Ya-Yas are a group of women friends who have been there for each other for more years than they care to admit to. Spanning over 50 years, the movie shifts from present times to ther past as we watch scenes from both books. And as we watch, we get an idea what the Ya-Yas are all about as we first glimpse them as young girls to their loves during WWII to the women as young mothers and finally to the present when Vivi is in a rage and about to disown her oldest child. Seems as thogh Siddalee, an up and coming director, when interviewed by a magazine was quoted as saying her mother is, "one of the most charming wounded people in the world and also dangerous." Now it is up to the other three Ya-Yas to inform Siddalee about the Ya-Yas and in a bold move they kidnap her from her home and lover to a cabin in Louisiana. It is there, over a period of a few days, that Sidalee learns about the Ya-Yas ands their divine secrets. And as the viewer watches these scenes play out one can't help but marvel at the fine cast. We watch Ashley Judd play the young high spirited Vivi to perfection and then Ellyn Burstyn as the older and still vibrant Ya-Ya and mother. Sidalee is played by Sandra Bullock and the other Ya-Yas are played by Maggie Smith, who totes around an oxygen tank for her emphysema, Shirley Knight and Fionnula Flanagan who I remember as Clothilde from Rich Man, Poor Man. Even James Garner as Shep, Viv's husband seemed to be the right choice. This film has beautifully crafted scenes which I won't forget too soon. From the first one where we watch as the young Ya-Yas pledge allegiance to one another to a wonderful scene late in the movie between mother and daughter where the divine secret is revealed, you'll think about your own Ya-Ya Sisterhood and laugh and cry. This is one of those movies which stays wih you long after you leave the theater. See the movie. You may even want to read the books. And then ask yourselves if if you don't agree with me that the Ya-Yas are wacky, fun, infectious, sad, confusing, confounding but always lovable. I bet you'll also agree with me when I say again YEAH YEAH FOR THE DIVINE SECXRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD!
While this movie has been termed a chick flick or mother daughter film it is truly a wonderful represntation of what women mean to erach other. It ranks hiughly among other fiklms with
Rating:
Summary: Lacking connections
Review: "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" lacks a psychological consistency that left me wondering about motivation and consequences. I also felt a disconnect between the young Vivi played so well by Ashley Judd and the older Vivi played equally well by Ellen Burstyn. How did the younger, so deeply troubled, Vivi morph into the more ditzy Burstyn character? The film doesn't give its viewers enough cause and effect substance to feel emotional empathy with Vivi or her daughter.
Rating:
Summary: Ya, ya - So, So
Review: This movie has been tagged as a "woman's" or "girley" movie but since this movie is about relationships guys should see it too. I loved the Southern setting but the accents could have been a little more"Southernish". I wish there would have been more stories from the years passed as they all arrived at that point in time with their continued friendships. I was let down by the "Secret" thinking it was something more dramatic than it was. Along with laughter there were a few tears and sniffles shed at the end. A great movie to share with friends, mother, daughter. This movie will rekindle friendships that have been ignored.
Rating:
Summary: Ya Ya!
Review: There are so many things that I could say about the film Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.I all started when I saw a preveiw for it and I thought that I was going to be an extremly stupid movie but I was wrong.Like with many movies that I see trailers for I think they are stupid untill weeks before they come out or weeks after I reliz that it looks really good and then I'm dying to see it.That is what happened with this movie.I saw it the day it came out and was really happy about the product of the film.But the only thing about it that I didn't like was someof the scenes.Those who are going to see it look out for something Ashley Judd does in the rain with her kids and those who have seen the film you know what I mean.Just those types of scenes.Things I loved were some of Ellen Burnsten's commets.Such as when she talks to her friend "I'll knock you into the middle of next week."It's excellant. ENJOY!
Rating:
Summary: A Definate Chick-Flick! And I loved it!
Review: This movie was absolutely awesome! When the movie started, it showed the beginning of the "Ya-Ya" tribe with Vivi, Teensy, Niecie, and Caro as children. That scene is priceless because Vivi, the Queen of the Ya-ya's told the girls to drink the blood of past royalty, "But don't worry, its Chocolate Syrup". Then soon after it shows Sandra Bullock as Siddalee Walker as a busy, play-writer telling a Time Magazine reporter about her childhood, that at first Sidda says is taken out of context when her mother, Vivi, played awesomely by Ellen Byrsten, reads about the "Tap-dancing, abusive mother" that raised Sidda. Mother and daughter send eachother "I'm mad at you" notes like, Vivi sending Sidda all her childhood pictures with her head cut off, in return, Sidda sends her mother cut up tickets to her new play, then in return to that, Vivi sends her a copy of her will with Sidda's name scribbled out, and finally, Vivi thinks the argueing comes to a close when she recieves a wedding invitation to Siddas wedding, only to look close and see the date and place are cut out of the invite. Vivi's friends, the Ya-Ya's, are tired of hearing about it, so they fly to New York and slip Sidda the "Date-Rape" drug and take her down to Louisiana to try to reconcile this arguing by Vivi's birthday, unbeknownst to Vivi. While down there, the Ya-Ya's tell Sidda about how strong and good her mother really was while looking back when they were young. That's where Ashley Judd comes in a younger Vivi. Judd's performace is very Oscar-winning. The struggles on the movie that Vivi goes through are very real and made me cry of several parts of the movie. I believe every woman should go see this movie with their mother or daughter or whoever the close woman in her life is. This movie has got to be the best I've seen in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: Okay for the record I had absolutley no desire to pay money to see this movie, however my wife (yes she wears the pants in the family) said we are going, and let me tell you this movie was much better than I had anticipated. Strong acting from both Sandra Bullock and Ellen Burstyn make the movie much better than it seems. This movie has everything anyone would want, moments that would bring a tear to the eye of the fence raising guy on the Ford commercial, and then seconds later have you rolling over in laughter. Although Ashley Judd has not recieved fantastic reviews for her version of Vivi, who is an extremely complicated character, everyone should understand Ellen Burstyn had the character after she had established who she is, Ashley Judd actually does a wonderful job, creating who that person is. Is she all over the map as far as acting is concerned? ABSOLUTLEY she is not consistent, however she is playing a very inconsistent person. The movie is about Vivi, the very interesting and eccentric mother of Sidalee. Sidalee is a very succesful writer, who in a magazine article criticizes her mother Vivi. Well mother doesn't like this and in her fit of rage refuses to speak to her oldest daughter. The remainder of the movie shows the YA-YA sisterhood (Vivi's closest friends), trying to show Sidalee (Sandra Bullock)why her mother is the way she is. So as we grow up with a younger Vivi (Ashley Judd) we get to see why the older Vivi (Ellen Burstyn) acts the way she does. This movie is a great lesson to all of us. None of us know how our parents came to be who they are. Maybe if we took the time to find out, we could better understand them. Funny, fearful, enraging and very touching moments show themselves throughout the entire movie, which really makes it worth the ticket price. A MUST SEE!
|
