Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Widescreen)

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: I just saw this movie and it was very good. Some parts I didn't like that is why I gave it 4 stars. Like TBS says it's the funnies movie that will make you cry.

Rating:
Summary: Violates the Geneva Convention.
Review: The "chick flick" genre hardly scales the height of cinematic achievement to begin with, but there's no excuse for a travesty like this. Even a guy who sympathesizes emphatically with feminism, "chick power," and the rest of those P.C. buzzterms will find Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood unwatchable, not to mention a revealing treatise on the opposite sex.

You see, any male watching this movie can only come to one rational conclusion: Women are F--KING INSANE. Insane for sympathizing with incredibly self-indulgent, b-tchy females like these. Insane for thinking that any self-respecting husband (like the actors in the film) would put up with these shenanigans instead of sending their spouse to a marriage counselor or a clinic at the very least. Insane for thinking that Ashley Judd, Ellen Burstyn, and Sandra Bullock are good actresses in any way, shape, or form. Insane for finding such contrived, manipulative, and stupid emotional histrionics humorous or heart-warming. And ESPECIALLY insane for thinking that their boyfriends will watch this mind-draining waste with them and enjoy it.

For a "female-empowerment" movie that is supposed to glorify the "fair sex," it does a damn good job of making men look like the better half.

So, women, pull out the kleenex and the Ben & Jerry's and have a "good cry" if you want, but I bet that even the most hormonal among you will feel insulted by this movie. For men (author included), this movie is like having your tender bits repeatedly stomped on with a pair of soccer cleats for an hour and a half's duration. Avoid like the plague.

Rating:
Summary: Secret of enjoyment
Review: Movies are not books. They can't reach in your mind and work it out the way you "saw" it when you read. That being said enjoy the great cast and unfolding story as if you'd no idea what was coming and all will be well. I had no trouble staying involved - sorry for the folks who would find this unmoving enough to watch without caffine - it had emotional punch enough for me to have tears in my eyes. Also my husband enjoyed it so it's not just a Chick Flick.

Rating:
Summary: Cinematic female mutilation
Review: If ever a movie betrayed the cause of the book that spawned it, it is "The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood."

Rebecca Wells's marvelous book tells the story of a small band of wartime friends whose lives and fantasies are infused with the mythical feminine. Symbols and experiences of femaleness run throughout the book -- from tarted up Holy Ladies to time-stopping rides on a (female) circus elephant. What images the movie does take are either masculinized (turning the elephant into a phallic airplane piloted by a man!) or diminished and cutesified (the girls flashing their bras at a local police officer rather than floating in a mother-bath under moonlight in a watertower).

Read the book instead, or listen to Rebecca Wells's terrific reading of the abridged version.


Rating:
Summary: I Guess You Have to Be Southern
Review: This movie doesn't seem to have a very good rating on Amazon. I have no earthly idea why. It will go down in history as one of the great Southern classics as far as I'm concerned. In my opinion, it is the "Steel Magnolias" of the new millineum. It has wit, charm, drama, and amazingly funny dialogue. It will make you laugh, cry, and just feel warm all over. The story of a troubled childhood in which nothing was really understood, a southern belle watching her youth slip away, and all the criss-crossing heartstrings or friends, family, and lovers. If you read the book, I feel the movie does a much better job of conveying the story. In short, this film was fabulous!

Rating:
Summary: 3.5
Review: I absolutely adore Sandra Bullock and Ashley Judd, that's the only reason why I watched this movie. At the end, I wasn't that disappointed but I wasn't thrilled. I have seen much better, not that Bullock and Judd didn't give amazing performances, I just think this could have been better. Firstly, I know it's how the ladies are looking back on the days but Judd should have been in it more, at least had more lines. I loved the wit of Bullock's finance though! It's probably a much better movie for older people, maybe when I'm 30 I'll see it again but there's nothing much I can really say about it.

Rating:
Summary: "Divine Secrets..." truly divine
Review: This is a fantastic movie, about the relationships between mothers and daughters. Siddalee Walker, played by Sandra Bullock, is a playwright on the verge of getting married to her Irish sweetheart. When an article comes out in a magazine which condemns Sidda's childhood, her mother vows to never speak to her again.

At the center of the movie, however, are the Ya-Yas, four childhood friends (including Vivian Abbott Walker), who rally around each other in the toughest of times. The three other Ya-Yas kidnap Sidda and bring her back to Louisiana, giving her a books- the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Yas. Sidda learns much about her past and her mother's, as the two explore their relationship to one another.

Its a powerful movie, about family and friendship. James Gardener, in a change from action-packed movie, plays Shep Walker. Maggie Smith pulls on the southern drawl.

Rating:
Summary: Better than I expected
Review: To tell you the truth I wasn't all that excited to see the film, just excited to have a girl's night out. I was pleasantly surprized. Sandra Bullock was wearing makeup in a movie for a change and did a better acting job than usual. Ashley Judd, who I didnt' even realize was in the film, gave an Oscar-worthy performance (though I doubt she'll be recognized for it). I've always thought she was beautiful but never considered her a fantastic actress until now. Magie Smith is wonderful, as usual and all of the other old ladies are do a fantastic job. It was nice to have a movie about women that doesn't focus entirely on the joys of youth, maturity has it's advantages. The man who plays Bullock's fiancee made me swoon, so handsome, charming and that great Irish accent. The southern accents in the movie are fun and the southern landscapes are breathtaking. Definitely a chick flick and good for men who want to understand more of the complexities of women. Be prepared to cry and to think a lot about your relationship with your mother. I actually managed to get my husband to sit thru this one when it came out on DVD, which is a real feat.
3 1/2 stars.