Playwright Tracy Letts is one hell of a talent. Three of his plays have been made into movies, two of which were favorites of many fans of this site. First was the William Friedkin directed BUG starring Michael Shannon and Ashley Judd and then there was last year’s controversial Matthew McConaughey starring KILLER JOE, also directed by Friedkin. Next up is AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY which features one of the biggest casts I have seen in a long time. Directed by ER producer John Wells, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is produced by ARGO’s winning duo of George Clooney and Grant Heslov.
A look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them.
Now, that plot may not sound like it may be up your alley, but just look at the amazing cast: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sam Shepard, Margo Martindale, Chris Cooper, Dermot Mulroney, and Juliette Lewis. That is a lot of award-winning talent right there. I have read the play and it is a damn fine piece of writing. Being a stage play, this is a talky movie, but there is potential for every one of those cast-members to be in the running for an Oscar. It is movies like AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY that make me wish the Academy Awards had a category for ensembles.
Check out the trailer and poster below for AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, which opens on November 8, 2013.