Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias

She stole the ending of August Osage County from me and ended up in supporting.

Steel Magnolias is the only time I really liked Julia. Though it is amazing that the Georgia born Roberts has one of the fakest sounding Southern accents in the movie.

I read they paired the actresses up in terms of accents and each pair had to do a different Georgia dialect. Julia had to match what Sally was doing. I think Dolly just did her own though.

[quote]lf my daddy catches you here the question of whether or not l can have your children won't matter. He will cut your thing off.

And suddenly the world was thinking of Dylan McDermott's dick.

I only started liking her after My Best Friend’s Wedding. She was very good in Ben Is Back from a couple of years ago.

I kind of understand what her appeal is... but she has always been and remains, terminally annoying to me. I also suspect she is a malevolently toxic human being.

The exact moment Julia Roberts became a movie star.

Her mouth is too big. There's something . . . unnatural . . . about a mouth like that.

Her Georgia accent was terrible...and she is from there! Can't walk in heels either.

And I always wait for that...smile. It kind of ruins it for me. It's kind like Eddie Murphy's laugh. You know it's coming and most of the rubes in the audience can't wait for it.

Julia has grown into a pretty good actress but she was too famous for a while - all one sees is Julia Roberts celebrity on screen. Brad Pitt has this problem too.

With everything wrong in the world, someone's smile ruins things for you? Oh boy.

R10 you're one of the rubes in the audience waiting for that moment when the film exploits her megawatt smile? We can never be friends.

Of her early work, I liked her in Mystic Pizza better.

I liked Steel Magnolias at the time. It has not held up well, in my opinion. And yes, Julia's accent was so bad, it was distracting.

I do like her, though!

I've only liked her in three movies (that I can think of):

Mystic Pizza - this movie made me "sit up and take notice" of her

Steel Magnolias - I think she was lucky that she had such a power house of talent surrounding her and propping her up

Erin Brockovich - just because

She seems to play the same character in everything else.

The only film I like her in is Notting Hill and she's playing herself in it.

I could never notice anything in that movie beyond Dylan McDermott. Sweet.

Her mouth is too distracting in everything she's in and, as someone pointed out, she cannot walk in heels. I always expect her to whinny and gallop off on those ungainly legs.

50% of her appeal was her Beautiful red hair back in the late 80s/90s.

R13 her southern accent sucked but she is from Georgia. Weird.

Iffff yooouuu doonnnnttt llleeeaaavvee meee alonnee I’m goonnnaaa leeeeaaavvvvveee!!!!

Steel Magnolias was set in Louisiana, not Georgia.

Yes, her southern accent was terrible.

And who thought she'd look good in a pixie? She needs a lot of hair to hide that long face.

I think SM has held us rather well. It was never great drama, but it is good fun. I watched it again the other day just because I am trapped in hell and I was well entertained until the end... the collective Annelle is a in labour hysteria was over the top even for that movie.

I thought M'Lynn was kind of a bitch to Aunt Fern when she picked up the kidney killing grandchild. Just scooped him up and run off like she was saving him from a den of evil. Not even a thank you.

And what was it with the names?

M'Lynn = MaryLynn

Truuvy - ???

Ouiser = Louisa

Annelle = trash thinking "I think it sounds classy"

Clairee - I guess there's a Claire in there somewhere

Is the former Confederacy like that? Do they all inevitably wind up with trashy or stupid names? None of the Sugarbakers did. It has always troubled me.

R25, had she welcomed me with a piece of one of her cakes, I would've be more gracious.

Because her career survived Satisfaction, and also got to fuck Liam Neeson at the same time, she will always have my admiration.

I'm still wondering what was so racy about Clairee's shoes that she gave them to Truvy?

They looked like basic blue pumps.

I remember when she got nominated for the Oscar for this and not many people really knew who she was because it was pre Pretty Woman She must thank Molly Wringwald for turning that role down

Molly Ringwald turned down Pretty Woman

According to someone who worked on the movie who used to post here, Susan Walters was actually offered the role of Shelby first, but missed the callback, so it was given to Julia Roberts, whom Herb Ross did not like. Susan went on do to Dear John.

Define “raved”!

I think the names are intended to portray a family like bond amongst the ladies. I’m from the south and it is not uncommon for people to go by mispronounced versions of their real names. Often introduced in childhood by younger siblings, cousins or friends.

All the guys in my group had some kind of nickname that we used in the 90s for each other. Most of them were somewhat derogatory and usually were invented in a dugout or some other bench.

Those Herb Ross threads were amazing! r31

Yeah - I don't know how anyone could have missed that this was set in Louisiana and not Georgia.

Julia is radiant - and that smile. Molly Ringwald would have been a mess in this.

....

I also remember watching the cast promoting the movie on Oprah and Julia was clearly high as a fucking kite. I can't find the actual episode anywhere, just highly edited clips on youtube. I was in college and a wake-and-baker at the time, and I knew that bitch was fucked up.

DON'T TAWLK BOUT MEH LAHK I'M NOT HEER!!!!

[quote]Kinda like Scarlett O'Hara.

You shut yo mouth. Miss Scarlett was beautiful. Julia Roberts has a horse face and big teeth. Not a pretty woman at all.

[quote] Yeah - I don't know how anyone could have missed that this was set in Louisiana and not Georgia.

I don't care which Southern state it is located in, though I knew it was Louisiana. Someone from Georgia or another Southern state should be able to do a passable Southern accent.

Everyone in the film was fabulous and outrageous, a real combined group effort. That's what made it such a success.

[quote]And what was it with the names? M'Lynn = MaryLynn Truuvy - ??? Ouiser = Louisa Annelle = trash thinking "I think it sounds classy" Clairee - I guess there's a Claire in there somewhere

Annelle: Ann + Nell. Compound name to honor both grandmas, two aunts, whatever. Not uncommon.

Truvy: an offshoot of Gertrude

I disagree, R41.

Nothing can beat the original off-Broadway show. Margo Martindale as Truvy. That was back when off-Broadway was at the height of excellence.

"I don't care which Southern state it is located in, though I knew it was Louisiana. Someone from Georgia or another Southern state should be able to do a passable Southern accent."

Are you really familiar with the New Orleans area? Not just a couple of trips to walk down Bourbon street or having some brie in Jackson square. There are many different dialects. I think your ignorance of this fact is why you doubt their authenticity. Or do you really think that you have put more time into this than these professional actors? Even if you think that JR would have trouble with the accent, do you also believe that an actress as accomplished as Sally Field would let that ride when they should sound similar?

Some people probably question your accent through that horrible lisp.

MOvie was forgettable, so was Julia. She deserved her Oscar for Erin Brockavich though.

[quote]Susan Walters was actually offered the role of Shelby first, but missed the callback, so it was given to Julia Roberts, whom Herb Ross did not like. Susan went on do to Dear John.

She also went on to play the Beacon Hills High School principal, and Lydia's mom, on Teen Wolf (was/is married to Linden Ashby, Sheriff Stilinski). All roads lead to Teen Wolf.

People are talking about this movie and still making references 30 years later! How do you define forgetable? You may want to look up the definition r47

Steel Magnolias is awful. And young women don’t die from diabetes, even when they get pregnant.

R48 People are talking about this movie and still making references 30 years later! How do you define forgetable? You may want to look up the definition [R47]

You might want to learn to spell it.

It’s based on a true story, dumbass! Yes, the writer’s sister died from diabetes! R49

R45 The movie is not set in New Orleans or Southern Louisiana. It is located in an area of the state in which a Southern Inland accent is appropriate. A Southern Louisiana accent would be as incorrect as having the characters speak in an old-fashioned Southern Lowcountry accent. I'm not expecting the actors to have a completely accurate accent, just a passable generic Southern accent.

I have studied the accents and dialects of the South.

[quote]People are talking about this movie and still making references 30 years later! How do you define forgetable? You may want to look up the definition [R47]

Thanks for the suggestion. I did.

"easily forgotten, especially through being uninteresting or mediocre."

It was okay, mildly entertaining, full of cliches and full of miscast actresses who were cast because they were famous names, not because they were the best people for the parts. It wasn't even as good as other Herbert Ross "masterpieces" like The Turning Point and The Goodbye Girl. I mean it wasn't exactly All About Eve now was it?

The director wanted Julia to cut her hair for the makeover scene but she refused. They ended up with that god awful wig. I remember and interview where Dolly was asked about Shirley and her new age shit and Dolly said "oh when she goes off about that I just tell her to shut up."

It was better than All About Eve.

[quote] It was better than All About Eve.

Thanks for the input, Sally.

Yet the movie is such total schlock!

Why won’t Shelby just drink the fucking juice? And why does the son have to fart in church?

I prefer the sequel where they all turn black.

I prefer part 3, where they're really, really old and have rusted.

[quote]And why does the son have to fart in church?

Because it's an unforgettable classic! Paul Muni farted in The Story Of Louis Pasteur, that's how he discovered radium and freed Dreyfus from Devil's Island.

Mystic Pizza for me. When i first saw her there, i thought she's gonna be a star. She effortlessly stood out .

Natchitoches, LA, where this was filmed is close to the border of E. Texas, so I would imagine the actual accents should sound closer to East Texas. LA and that part of Texas share a lot of the same culture namely crawfish pie on da bayou type stuff.

Her legs are Ok but she walks like a mule. Really big feet.

Big mouth, big teeth, huge ears. Seriously cannot wear hair pulled back showing them. Big feet and hands. Sloppy looking mouth with the upper lip hanging over the lower one. Not attractive.

R65=Sandy being nasty

Who is Sandy? Not nasty just truthful.

What’s the backstory on the Julia vs Sandra animosity. It’s got to be more than professional rivalry.

[quote]You shut yo mouth. Miss Scarlett was beautiful.

The first lines in the GWTW book, R39, are "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful" and then goes on to say, paraphrasing, that men seldom realized it, because they were too caught up in her charm.

“Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.”

Really? I couldnt wait for her to die and I didnt know she was supposed to.

She has flat-lip.

Julia Roberts wig has ruined many a movie!

I bought this film for my girlfriend for Xmas (she is a lifelong fan of Julia's), after reading the Herbert Ross threads. She had never even heard of it and was delighted. The fact is, this film isn't well-known in Europe.

I doubt it's over a man R68.

Herbert Ross sounds he was a nasty piece of work.

Her features are weird - huge nostrils, that gross upper lip, horsey smile, but somehow, together, they all work quite well.

Most straight men were crazy about JR when she was in her 20s and early 30s. Which is weird, cause she is super tall and quite clumsy, and str8s prefer petite and delicate women.

Link to the Herbert Ross thread plz

Meg Ryan was actually slated to play Shelby before Julia. She chose correctly to go do When Harry Met Sally instead. Winona Ryder who was too young in my opinion was also considered.

Julia and Rupert Everett supposedly hit it off during My Best Friends Wedding, and became very close friends. Supposedly that ended when she went to the premiere of The Next Best Thing, and walked up to Madonna and introduced herself. Madonna, whose date was Everett (as they were close friends as well) coldly replied with something along the lines of "I know who you are" and walked away with Everett. That pretty much ended their friendship.

Choose your faghags wisely: If Rupert had stayed with Roberts, he might have actually had a semblance of a movie career today.

Everett in turn ended up trashing them both in his memoir and actually compared the two to each other. Julia showed up with boyfriend Ben Bratt also in the movie to that premiere and got all the crowd response which infuriated Madonna. When asked about it on the red carpet Madge told the reporter "She's the one person that's almost as famous as me." Hiss hiss.

Coretta Scott King paid the hospital bill for Julia's birth.

Steel Magnolias fictional town is Chinkypinky, Louisiana.

Actually, it's Chicken Pen Parish.

Ross at his most abusive made her film the seizure over 50 times or something along those lines. I recall an AFI event honoring Roberts where MaCLaine mentioned it.

Haffa Chicken Pen Parish wants to whack off with Ouiser!

I'm pretty sure I read the old gals all ganged up on Ross and told him to lighten up on the girl.

After she stopped wearing that long curly red hair she became plain. It was a perfect look for her at the time.

R84, actually, it's Chinquapin Parish,

R87 I don't know if he lightened up on her, but the entire cast hated him. He especially seemed to have it in for Julia Roberts and Dolly.

Roberts, SJP and Kidman all look better with that crazy curly hair. Kidman should ha e stuck with the red for sure because her hair is so awfully damaged by too much processing to get it straight and blonde. People need to quit fighting what they were born with.

Ross was not some great director to be so mean and ugly to a young actress. He'd made a couple of good movies but nothing earth changing. Ironically, SM ended up being his most successful movie.

[quote]SM ended up being his most successful movie.

Nope. He directed Footlose, The Turning Point, Funny Lady and The Goodbye Girl; all were pretty successful and zeitgeisty.

Box office wise SM was his most successful film

R94 I wouldn't call Funny Lady a success. It earned a nice return due to being the sequel to a classic film and starring Barbara Streisand. But most critics and fans consider it a failure. The amazing thing is that while he thought Julia Roberts was the weakest link in the cast, she was the only one nominated for an Oscar.

There must have been at least twenty threads, R78. It was like the Treason threads today, albeit on a very different topic.

Young American girls and Fraus absolutely love this movie. It's their go to weepie.

R98 and Southerners. Even straight Southern men watch it, despite pretending they don't.

Herb sounds like an absolute doll.

Herb sounds like an absolute doll.

Actually, it's Chiggapig Parish.

Sure, Jan.

[quote] Box office wise SM was his most successful film

The Secret of My Success is Ross’s highest grossing film, followed by The Goodbye Girl. Both made over $100m. SM made $96m.

R104 You are right but if you include tv and home media, I would guess Footloose and Steel Magnolias were his biggest moneymakers. Unlike his other films they are constantly on tv and still sell well on home media. I can't remember the last time I saw The Secret of My Success or The Goodbye Girl anywhere.

It was perfect of its kind. It really was. The ultimate chick flik with enough that it was also the ultimate gay boy flik. It was kind of amazing, and I disagree with whoever said it doesn't hold up. It definitely does. I watch it about once a year and it's still fun and wonderful.

R80. This. Just another example of what a soulless cunt Madonna has always been. What a vile and dare I say embarrassing way to behave. Madonna has always been easily triggered. I'm glad to hear Roberts showed her up at her own premiere by just showing up. I've always gotten the vibe that Madonna does not like other woman despite her bullshit feminist barks.

Suck it, bitch. And your movie sucked!

Gen X/eldergays...was Miss Julia ever considered bigger than Grandmadonna at points in the 90s?

I'm not a julia fan but madonna acted lime a totally classless cunt.

Well Madonna is.

Ouiser, you sound almost chipper. What happened today - you run over a small child or something?

[quote]The first lines in the GWTW book, [R39], are "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful" and then goes on to say, paraphrasing, that men seldom realized it, because they were too caught up in her charm.

Everybody knows that line was slipped into the book after Miss Margaret was hit by that car. It is not part of the original manuscript. In fact, I believe that person purposefully hit Miss Margaret so they could get that line in the book. It's indecent. Miss Scarlet was beautiful.

Vivien Leigh was beautiful. Scarlett? Well, maybe she made the most of what she had.

But movies are sort of blunt instruments. You need a beautiful woman to play somebody who is supposed to be attractive. I always wish Vivien Leigh had played Anne Boleyn at some point. It was kind of the same thing. A lot of people didn't find her beautiful, but men could not keep their eyes off of her. She had some kind of fascination for poets, Earls, and Kings. They saw something, even if a lot of other people couldn't see it.

Roberts got an academy award nom for best supporting for the role in SM. Who the fuck is Sally to call Dolly an older actress? She is 1 year older than Sally.

R109, maybe in 1993 when Julia had The Pelican Brief and Madonna had the fallout from Erotica/Sex/Body of Evidence. After that Julia's movie career was as shitty as Madonna's had been until she did My Best Friend's Wedding in 1997.

In 1990 after Pretty Woman through Pelican Brief she was absolutely bigger than Madonna. There was no one bigger in that time. And then again from MBFW to the Oscar. There's a reason Madonna acted like a total bitch to her.

[Quote] She also went on to play the Beacon Hills High School principal, and Lydia's mom, on Teen Wolf (was/is married to Linden Ashby, Sheriff Stilinski). All roads lead to Teen Wolf.

Do they?? That's a pretty sad road. And I think Susan was also in The Vampire Diaries.

[Quote] Madonna has always been easily triggered. I'm glad to hear Roberts showed her up at her own premiere by just showing up. I've always gotten the vibe that Madonna does not like other woman despite her bullshit feminist barks.

And it looks like Covid is her latest trigger. She just needs to retire now.

Rupert Everett had to have been one of those busy gossipy queens to be able to get the most famous women in the world as faghags.

I never thought she was any good in this — and not even charming really which is rare for her. Pretty Woman of course, and Mystic Pizza (of her early roles), you really saw why she became a star. I never really saw it here.

And that forehead vein! It really makes its presence known in this movie.

R109 - that's a hard one. Madonna ruled the airwaves and MTV while Roberts was the top actress in Hollywood. I would call it a draw really.

R121 is correct. Both were headline grabbers because they kept shall we say busy love lives. Both were hugely famous but I think Julia was more beloved overall. Those heavy fraus love their Julia to this day.

I hate to say it but Karens tend to be giant Julia Roberts fans too. Ick. That's like the worst fan base.

Julia had a really nice body and her height (when utilized by the right stylist or director) allowed her a sleek, fit, long-limbed, yet still curvy profile. She was probably best shown off in Mystic Pizza. Roberts seemed somewhat awkward in Pretty Woman but that was her role - the difficulty walking in heals, slumping shoulders, fidgeting, etc. Her incredibly thick, voluminously-healthy-yet-soft, curly hair put her over the top at a time when weaves were not yet a thing with "white" hair. She always had an IT factor and it worked like gangbusters when Pretty Woman hit the theaters. Almost overnight she was the only actress that anyone was talking about and was considered the pinnacle of beauty throughout suburbia from coast to coast. Many of her features were bizarre when dissected individually but came together as a rather stunning whole. When perfectly in her element, Julia's acting projected raw emotion and natural humanity. When she was self-conscious, you "felt" right along with her. When she smiled - you smiled back to the screen. Sometimes she was great. The downfall came when it was clear that she was really only good at playing one particular role over and over again - which worked for some characters and failed miserably at others.

For OP and others who might not know this great little nugget, Julia was Francis Coppola's first choice to play Mary, the daughter of Al Pacino and Diane Keaton in Godfather III, but had to turn it down because of scheduling conflicts with Steel Mags and Sleeping with the Enemy. All three of those came about because the videocassette of Mystic Pizza was circulating casting offices months before it had it's theatrical release. Word spread from people who had seen an advance copy of Mystic that Roberts was the hot new thing! .....When she was unavailable for Godfather III, it then went to Winona Ryder, (although it's been long rumored that Rebecca Schaeffer had met and was on her way to a second callback the day she was murdered).

I think Roberts would have been totally believable as the daughter of Pacino and Keaton, and she would have had the great chemistry with Andy Garcia that was severely lacking with Sophia Coppola.

The Goodbye Girl was just on TCM, where it is regularly shown. It has not aged well. Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfus mugged through the whole movie... she especially was nothing but annoying.

[quote] Ross at his most abusive made her film the seizure over 50 times or something

And it still wasn’t believable

I've never seen the entire movie, only a few clips here and there. Is this the movie that Dataloungers make fun of JR's accent in? Someone used to call it her "Mama, mah culuhs aah blush and bayshful" comedy.

Roberts would’ve been all wrong in Godfather 3 (yes I know she was up for it). No one would buy her as Pacino’s kid, are you kidding?

Ryder at least could look remotely Sicilian and was petite with dark hair. Roberts and Garcia didn’t have much in the way of chemistry in the Ocean’s movie— though of course they aren’t meant to— but still it’s not there.

I truly wonder who would have been a good choice for that character in Godfather III. What is that character anyway? What is she supposed to convey in the dynamics of the story? Sofia C's presence makes it a black void, so I don't know what that character is supposed to be. What was her father thinking?? Especially knowing how scrupulous he was with casting in the other 2 movies. Godfather II is perfection.

R125, something doesn't add up about your little nugget. Steel Magnolias was filmed in the summer of 1988. Godfather Part III started filming in November of 1989. Sleeping With The Enemy started filming in April 1990.

In their day and at their heights Madonna was a provocateur and Julia the America's sweetheart type. Two entirely different beasts. But beasts nonetheless.

[quote] I hate to say it but Karens tend to be giant Julia Roberts fans too. Ick. That's like the worst fan base.

It is because they all think they are JR as Erin Brockovich. Though instead of fighting a big corporation like PG&E, they fight small-time managers and minorities.

R77 she fulfilled the whore in the bedroom and lady on the street fantasy straight boys like so much because of the character she played. Like Brittney's naughty school girl. Straight guys love a little fuck toy but they don't want their friends and family to think she's a whore.