what a family in August:Osage County

It's always good to see a film that makes you appreciate your own rather-more-normal family. I must admit I was attracted to the star cast and having George Clooney as producer was not such a bad thing! The film August:Osage County grabbed my attention from the start, slowly and curiously. It was not long before I realised that this was no ordinary rural family. OK the vast emptiness of Oklahoma countryside was both captivating and concerning. Living in the middle of nowhere has its benefits and challenges. So I was impressed, again, with Meryl Streep's portrayal of the matriarch, Violet Weston. She was clearly recovering from chemotherapy for mouth cancer but her pill taking addiction looked like a more fun alternative than mere drunkenness. I liked the way her husband Beverley, played by Sam Shepard, described their marriage agreement; she took pills and he drank as much as he wanted! But then he ran away and took his own life in a local lake, perhaps to escape the drama that followed. So as the three sisters unite with their crazy and damaged mother, a tyrannical family drama develops through a chilling crescendo to a fairly predictable conclusion. Ultimately, I imagine most people can walk out, feeling frazzled, but with a new appreciation for their own simple family issues...