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!
Rating: 
Summary: My Thoughts on Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Review: To my way of thinking - the book was too silly for words.
Difficult book to get into - no real story line.
There was probably an area I could not pick up sufficiently.
My Friday Book Club reviewed the book and all of our responses were different. Some liked it and others did not.
I would rather read for pleasure and a bit of intellect- I found none of these pursuits in this book. ...
Rating:
Summary: Not having read the book.....
Review: I was totally open to viewing the film. I adore Sandra Bullock and Ashley Judd both of whom did wonderful acting jobs in this film. It is a wonderful feel good film about growing up and relationships, and it also exposes us to another aspect of "Southern" culture. There isn't one actor/actress in this film who doesn't deserve recognition. It's wonderful to see James Garner again on film, and Maggie Smith is always a gem. I will now read the book. I didn't want to spoil the fun and laughter of this film by going into it with expectations. What fun it must've been to be a member of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood!
Rating: 
Summary: Better than the book
Review: This is the first time I have ever seen a movie that I thought was better than the book. I read the book quite a while back and recall that I wasn't as crazy about it as everyone else seemed to be. The movie was a fun chick-flick though. (I was actually surprised to see quite a few males in the audience.) I must say though, that in my opinion, Ashley Judd's performance is overrated. If anyone deserves an award for their role in this film, it's Ellen Burstyn, not Ashley Judd, but in general, I don't think this is an 'Oscar' film. I just didn't think Judd gave her character nearly as much pizzazz as Burstyn did (in general, I am not a big fan of Judd's acting capabilities). I think all the old Ya-Yas were very good in the movie and Sandra Bullock was just Sandra Bullock (cute and sweet).
Rating: 
Summary: I Liked It Better When It Was Called Fried Green Tomatoes...
Review: Haven't we seen this before...? A bunch of southern women, all with weird names like SiddaLee, Teensi, etc., problems between Mothers and Daughters, Southern eccentricities, a terrible secret kept for generations...? Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias, anyone? To be fair, Ya-Ya IS better than Magnolias, but not in the same league as Tomatoes. The story revolves around four lifelong friends who call themselves the "Ya-Ya Sisterhood"; We start the film with them as little girls starting the club. It's a cute scene, but it sets the tone for the rest of the film: Aside from Vivvi, played by Ashley Judd and Ellen Burstyn (Both of whom are fabulously well cast!), we never really learn anything about the rest of the Ya-Ya's....they're just there to advance the plot by kidnapping Vivvi's daughter, the terribly-in-need-of-acting-lessons Sandra Bullock, who you would think might somehow absorb, through osmosis, some of Burstyn's abundant skills. Nope. She's her usual overwrought, hyper self. The Ya-Ya's are trying to make SiddaLee understand why Vivvi is the way she is. The film seems to be heading in the direction of telling us that Vivvi was sexually abused by her Father as a girl, but no, Vivvi is controlling and self-centered because she's just a spolied brat whose life didn't go just the way she wanted. Now that SiddaLee knows that, everything is ok, I guess..... The fil is WAAAY too long, but even so, it seems too rushed. (Where are Vivvi's other kid's throughout the film? They're never even mentioned as adults, and the only time we see them as kids is when they're annoying Vivvi.) There are some nice performances, notably by the three actresses playing Vivvi, and some cute moments, but otherwise nothing special,
Rating:
Summary: ** INCREDIBLE ! **
Review: I loved the book, and the movie was absolutely incredible. You don't have to appreciate southern women to appreciate this film about strong female relationships. I attended with my Ya-Ya's and we laughed until our sides hurt, cried into our popcorn a time or two, and would have gladly stayed for a second showing. This is without a doubt the best movie I've seen in years. The acting is superb and the adaptation from book to film as true as I've ever seen. This book and film make me realize that my crazy mother was someone with hopes and dreams *before* she was my crazy mother. .
Rating:
Summary: Every Mother and Daughter Should See This One
Review: In fact everyone should see this. My better half went with me and was one of four other men in a sea of women. He enjoyed it and said it gave him some insite into his own Mom. It made me laugh and tear up. It made me remember my younger full of passion days. It made me remember a more innocent time in the US. It made me want to call my Mom and my daughters and tell them I love them. It filled me with joy.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the most depressing movies I have ever seen
Review: This was a big disappointment. Very dark humor about alcoholism and abuse to treat manic depression. Not how the movie was promoted. Where we were the whole audience left feeling uneasy from what they saw. I think this move went a little too far. If you wish to be depressed from a show - Go see this movie. About 30 minutes of the movie is wonderful and gracefully turns into a Hollywood nightmare.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Movie with Many Good Performances
Review: This movie is very attractively filmed, and has an excellent group of players. I will not mess the plot up for those that have not seen it, but I suspect that there will be some Oscar nominations for this film. The four women that comprised the Ya Ya Sisterhood: Ellen Bursten, Maggie Smith, Fionnula Flanigan and Shirley Knight are seasoned veterans and show it. They all did an excellent job. However, Ashley Judd and Allison Bertilino(who plays Sandra Bullock as a child) dominated the movie. They both played roles that ranged from one emotional extreme to the other. Sandra Bullock, while an integral part of the movie, did not particularly shine. James Garner was in the background most of the movie, but played a comfortable part. I now plan on reading the book.
Rating:
Summary: It's So Ya-Ya
Review: I just returned from watching the movie. If you haven't read the book, you might get lost while watching the movie. My husband went with me to see it, and he hasn't read the book and he enjoyed it also. I've read the book twice and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. All the actors are great and do a wonderful job. Its definitely a movie I'll get when it becomes available. Don't pay attention to the reviews in the papers, judge for yourself.
|
