Steel Magnolias-A Film That Grew On Me

For most of Steel Magnolias's early section, the film didn't do much for me. I wasn't compelled much by the film's early section, consisting primarily of middle-aged women gossiping about the goings-on of their small Southern town. Much of the humor in the film's early section also didn't do much for me, feeling too cheezy for my liking.

But as the film went on, the charm of the characters began to grow on me. I became increasingly more invested in these women's lives, and I found the general camaraderie between these women to be incredibly endearing. When it comes to comedy, once the film began to focus less on the cheezy jokes themselves and more on how these characters use their sense of humor to cope with the tragedy and hardships of their day-to-day lives, the humor began to work a lot more for me. As the film goes on, there's a bittersweetness to the humor that balances out the cheezy tone.

The film becomes much better when it becomes less about the wacky gossip of a small southern town and more about a group of women whose friendship and sense of community allow them to cope with the tragedy and hardship of their daily lives. The tonal disconnect of the film's first half, where it jumps between comedy and tragedy at the flip of a dime, soon begins to work incredibly well in the second half, when it becomes clear that these characters use the humor to cope with the tragedy. By the end, that jarring tonal disconnect soon works to the film's advantage.

Much of the film's overly sedimental and cheezy tone didn't do much for me. And I can't say I found the scenes of middle-aged women gossiping to be all that entertaining. The film's early bits can jump so suddenly from comedy to tragedy in ways I found quite jarring. But as the film goes on, it becomes incredibly charming and moving. By the end, the film's tonal jumps from comedy to tragedy soon begin to work quite well, adding a bittersweet touch to the tragedy. So, while much of the film didn't do much for me, I can't deny there's an endearing and emotional quality to much of the writing and performances that works incredibly well, so I can understand why many see this film as a classic.

Now Avaible to Rent or Buy on Prime Video, Apple TV, and more in the U.S