Fried Green Tomatoes

Starring: Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker, Jessica Tandy, Cicely Tyson, Chris O'Donnell, Stan Shaw, Lois Smith
Directed by: Jon Avnet
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Comedy
1991

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A woman (Kathy Bates) befriends an elderly woman (Jessica Tandy) in a nursing home who tells her stories from her youth. The stories inspire the woman to rethink her own approach to life.

Review:
Tim: I have to say that I really, really liked this movie. It's a nice reminder of why you should always listen when someone recommends a movie. I probably wouldn't have gone out of my way to see this movie without a recommendation. I'm very glad I took the effort to watch it. Fried Green Tomatoes was a surprisingly powerful movie. It's one of those films that sticks with you.

The movie features two storylines. We have Kathy Bates, who meets elderly Jessica Tandy in a retirement home. The two strike up a friendship, and Tandy recounts stories from her youth. The second storyline involves the interesting, funny, entertaining stories about the people from her childhood. This storyline focuses on two friends, Mary-Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson, and their 20+ year friendship.

The stories that take place in the 1920s and subsequent decades are the most entertaining aspect of the film. The main heart of the movie revolves around Parker and Masterson and their close friendship. These two actresses give such amazing performances- they really made the movie for me. The characters are believable and empathetic, and we watch as they grow up, facing hardships, joys, life and death. It's a fascinating look at friendship in a time very different from our own. It's beautiful in many ways. This all comes from the powerful portrayals by Parker and Masterson. I was a bit disappointed they didn't receive more recognition for their roles (Tandy, though, did receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress). Films about real, lasting friendship are rare, but can be very inspiring. This one definitely was for me.

I thought the main storyline of Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy was good, but not nearly as good as the flashback story scenes. Bates uses Tandy's stories as inspiration in her own life, and this can be compelling, but I found myself hoping these scenes would wrap up quickly so we could get back to the stories. The movie goes back and forth between the "modern" day and the 20s, but the older stories are clearly more impactful than the modern ones. I thought this was a slight flaw, but Bates and Tandy work well together, and I did enjoy this part of the movie as well. It would have been better had these scenes been a bit stronger.

One of the reasons this movie worked for me is because it manages to reach in and touch you on an emotional level. If you've been reading this blog, you know I often complain about how I didn't care about any of the characters or what happened to them. That was the exact opposite here- the movie makes sure you identify with and actually care about these characters. You quickly learn to care about them and invest yourself in your story. I was surprised how the more emotional moments managed to connect with me. That's one of the film's greatest strengths.

I really liked this movie- the characters, the story, and the lessons it tries to teach. I know movies always change us in small ways (because we're different after watching, thinking about, and reflecting on the story and characters). Fried Green Tomatoes is a movie that sticks with you more than most. I very much enjoyed this movie.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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