Steel Magnolias

Theatrical Release Date: 1989 11 15 (USA)

UPC: 043396702479

Studio: Columbia TriStar

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Profanity]

Summary: The title refers to those seemingly frail Southern belles who survive any and all deprivations through whims of iron. Robert Harling's original stage play was set exclusively in a Louisiana beauty parlor where an all-female cast of characters laughed, cried and compared menfolk. The film expands the playing field by including scenes at picnics, hospitals and the like, and by visually depicting the males who never appeared in the stage version. Dolly Parton plays the goodnatured beauty-shop owner, while Shirley MacLaine is the cantankerous town eccentric, decked out in grungy overalls and speaking fluent Trash. Well-to-do Sally Field bravely endures several assaults to her sensibilities, not the least of which is the illness (and subsequent death) of daughter Julia Roberts. The performances are first-rate, with the possible exception of Daryl Hannah's overemphatic portrayal of a gawky hairdresser. The film stumbles a bit in its depiction of the male characters as fools and deadheads, and in the final overlong hospital scenes involving the comatose Roberts, which play like a road company version of Terms of Endearment. Otherwise, Steel Magnolias is a prime example of ensemble filmmaking, lovingly coordinated by director Herbert Ross. (Sidebar: Herbert Ross was reportedly rather rough on Julia Roberts, deriding her lack of experience. The rest of the female cast rallied around Roberts and told the director to lay off or pay the price). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Supporting Actress – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Supporting Actress – null Best Supporting Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Moti – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Drama – People's Choice Awards

Features: Digitally mastered audio and anamorphic video
Widescreen presentation
Audio: English 2-channel [Dolby Surround]
Additional languages: Spanish, Portuguese
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai
Director's commentary
Deleted scenes
Exclusive featurette
Isolated music score
Bonus trailers
Talent files
Interactive menus
Production notes
Scene selections

Steel Magnolias

Format: DVD

Release Date: 07/25/2000

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: 2 PCM stereo

Runtime: 119 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish,Portuguese

Subtitles: English,Spanish,Portuguese,Chinese,Korean,Thai

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Scene Selections
0. Scene Selections
1. Start [3:27]
2. Mother of the bride [3:27]
3. New hire [1:50]
4. Talking trash [1:47]
5. Clairee Belcher [5:08]
6. Ouiser Boudreaux [2:02]
7. Wedding day gossip [6:58]
8. Insulin shock. [5:48]
9. Personal tragedy [3:57]
10. The wedding [2:40]
11. The reception [6:26]
12. Leaving the nest [3:51]
13. Christmas festival [3:09]
14. Color announcer [1:12]
15. "I'm pregnant" [:59]
16. A big secret [11:47]
17. First birthday party [1:52]
18. Shelby's new 'do [1:17]
19. Dialysis [5:14]
20. Beer & Christ [3:23]
21. "Looks good" [5:30]
22. Wedding shower [1:18]
23. Shelby takes ill [3:56]
24. In a coma [1:12]
25. Family decision [3:42]
26. Grave site [5:24]
27. Laughter through tears [2:23]
28. Life goes on [3:42]

Jason Clark

While it never truly escapes its theatrical origins, Robert Harling's tale of a gaggle of loquacious Southern belles manages to succeed as a straightforward entertainment. More sentimental and heavy-handed than it needs to be, the movie nevertheless has a major selling point: it creates full-bodied characters for a talented troupe of A-list actresses, many of whom never get an opportunity to play roles that are as much fun. The film expands on the original six-character outline to include the men in these women's lives, but not to much success, as the actresses dominate the film throughout. Magnolias is well cast right down the line (only Sally Field takes her part too far over the top), with a luminous early role for Julia Roberts in the most affecting performance. Oddly enough, the film is often compared to Terms of Endearment, the film to which Harling would write and direct the sequel The Evening Star, an effort that failed to capitalize on either of these films' strengths or their impressive box office. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Cast and Crew: C. Houser  Actor 
James Shapkoff III  Actor 
Jonathan Ward  Actor 
Norman Fletcher  Actor 
Rick Hurst  Actor 
Rodney Alan Fulton  Actor 
Gale J. Odom  Actor 
Robert Adams  Actor 
Carole Cook  Actor 
Teresa Beaudoin  Actor 
Walker May  Actor 
Betsy Widhalm  Actor 
Robert Ginnaven  Actor 
Nancy Parsons  Actor 
Robert Harling  Actor 
Daniel Camp  Actor 
Roger D. McCann  Actor 
Ronald Young  Actor 
Oscar J. Bienvenu, Jr.  Actor 
Debbie McCann  Actor 
James Wlcek  Actor 
Tom Hodges  Actor 
Spencer Henderson  Actor 
Betty J. Dove  Actor 
Robert R. Morgan  Actor 
Carol Sutton  Actor 
Bibi Besch  Actor 
Ann Wedgeworth  Actor 
Sandra Asbury-Johnson  Actor 
Gladys Mallard  Actor 
Lori Tate  Actor 
Knowl Johnson  Actor 
Janine Turner  Actor 
Travis Harrison  Actor 
Aja Sansone  Actor 
Trent Dawson  Actor 
Georges Delerue  Composer (Music Score) 
Robert Harling  Screenwriter 
Herbert Ross  Director 
Raymond Stark  Producer 
Victoria White  Executive Producer 
Sally Field  Actor 
Dolly Parton  Actor 
Shirley MacLaine  Actor 
Daryl Hannah  Actor 
Olympia Dukakis  Actor 
Julia Roberts  Actor 
Tom Skerritt  Actor 
Sam Shepard  Actor 
Dylan McDermott  Actor 
Kevin J. O'Connor  Actor 
Bill McCutcheon  Actor 

Country: USA