Greetings,
Okay, it has been quite a while since I've reviewed a TV movie. What prompted this return? Well, as some of you may have heard, the Lifetime Network is planning a movie about the goings on behind the scenes at Saved By the Bell. As with most Lifetime movies, this could go either way. So, I thought I'd dive into their collection and see if I could find something a bit more substantial. I went in, and I came out with the 2012 remake of Steel Magnolias.
Initially, when I heard about this, I wondered what was the point of remaking a movie that was already really good. Not that it hasn't been done before. Still, I gave it a chance, and I was pleasantly surprised. Well, not that surprised, considering the cast, which we'll get to in a minute. Honestly, I don't know what prompted someone to do this remake, but, now that it exists and I've seen it, I'm kind of glad that it's here.
So, the most obvious thing about this new version of Steel Magnolias is that the cast is all African-American. I assume that some misguided person may have referred to this as a "gimmick", but if anyone says that, it's a load of crap. Maybe it would be true if there was a sub par cast, but, as I said, this cast is phenomenal. So let's talk about that.
Taking over the role of M'Lynn is none other than Queen Latifah, in probably her most mature role to date. By mature, I mean, she totally plays a grandma here...eventually. Love it! Actually, I do like how, as she gets older, she is easily and naturally falling into roles that suit where she is in her life and her age. I don't see her trying to force herself into a part that is meant for a 21-year-old. Not every actress is capable of that, but she is doing so beautifully. Speaking of women who have also done that, we get Phylicia Rashad as Clairee. In the original, I think this character was the most motherly, in a way, to the whole group, but she was also kind of sassy. Seriously, who better to fill that role than the woman who portrayed on of the best TV moms ever? And Ms. Rashad is as good as ever. Guess who else is pretty good - her daughter, Condola Rashad, who plays Shelby. Now I've seen her on a couple of TV shows, but I think she does a lot of theater work, even getting herself a Tony. Here, she captures the "I'm young and I'm your daughter, but I'm ready to grow up and be myself" thing. I think it can be tough to play the parts of people in transition, but she pulls it off. Then, we have Adepero Oduye as Annelle. You may recognize this fine actress from a little film called 12 Years a Slave. Anyway, this remake is about thirty minutes less than the original, so some things had to be omitted. One of those things was a lot of Annelle's subplot. She does get her back story and whatnot, but they kind of cut all her stuff in half. Still, with what she is given, Adepero does a fine job.
Alright, now let's get to the two parts that were probably the hardest to tackle. I say this because they were the most over the top and distinct in the original. First, there is Truvy, here played by Jill Scott. This part was first portrayed by Dolly Parton. You see the dilemma. As you may know, Dolly Parton is a character in and of herself. I say this, by the way, with all the respect in the world. And when she played Truvy, she brought a ton of herself into that role. In this version, they easily could have had Jill Scott mimic the performance. They did not, and that was a good choice, because it could have become a caricature of sorts. But Jill played her in a more subtle way. Still fun and (gotta use this word again) sassy, but a little more subdued. And it works. Then, there is the part of Ouiser, played here by Alfre Woodard. Again, this character was very memorable in the original, mostly because she was so crazy. Oh, trust, she's crazy here, too, but Ms. Woodard did this in her own special way. Just as eccentric, yet uniquely so.
Now what I said about those subplots getting reduced a bit? Well, that meant that the guys weren't in this version as much as they were in the first. Makes sense, I guess. This is, after all, Lifetime: Television for WOMEN! Still, I have to give credit to the men who rounded out the cast. We have Tory Kittles as Jackson, Afemo Omilami as Drum, Michael Beasley as Spud, and Lance Gross as Sammy. And whatever their role, however large or small, these guys held their own with those awesome ladies.
So you may be wondering what are the differences and the similarities when it comes to this versus the original. Of course, I already mentioned some of both, but here's a few more. First, it is full-on updated. It's not set in the 80's or anything. I know because they mentioned Facebook and they had more modern music. They also added some scenes or put the old ones in new settings. They also kept A LOT of the same dialogue. That also could have been awkward, but everyone put their own spin on it so well that it didn't hurt anything. Probably because none of that matters, really. What is important to the story, the emotions and love, everything about family and friends, that is all still there. In other words, yes, I did cry...again.
I know that, as with many remakes, if you love the original, you might be hesitant to want to see another version. Still, I say give this one a chance. Everyone does a superb job, and as a whole, I think I might like this cast better than the 1987 film. Yeah, I was not and am not the biggest fan of some of the people in the that one. But whatever. I say check this out. At the very least, you'll get to see some amazing performances. That's worth quite a lot.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
