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August: Osage County

Play trailer Poster for August: Osage County R Released Jan 10, 2014 1h 59m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
67% Tomatometer 205 Reviews 65% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
The death and funeral of their father brings three sisters to the home of their mother, Violet (Meryl Streep), an acid-tongued, pill-popping cancer patient. Daughters Barbara (Julia Roberts), Karen (Juliette Lewis) and Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) -- along with their significant others and various other kin -- take the full brunt of their dysfunctional matriarch's venom, for Violet tells every one of them exactly what she thinks of them. Based on the play by Tracy Letts.
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August: Osage County

August: Osage County

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Critics Consensus

The sheer amount of acting going on in August: Osage County threatens to overwhelm, but when the actors involved are as talented as Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, it's difficult to complain.

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Critics Reviews

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Lisa Knisely Bitch Media August: Osage County is about morally flawed, sometimes cruel, and often unlikable women. And that's what makes August: Osage County good. Jan 20, 2021 Full Review Thelma Adams Yahoo! Movies Nothing makes you feel better about your dysfunctional family at the holidays than watching a messed-up clan unravel on screen, only armed with better zingers and prettier faces. That describes this adaptation of Tracy Letts's star-studded drama. Rated: 3.4 Sep 12, 2014 Full Review David Stratton At the Movies (Australia) The film's director, John Wells... is never able to escape from the theatrical origins of this over-heated drama, though lovers of the Edward Albee style of marital confrontation will doubtless revel in the melodrama Rated: 3.5/5 Feb 6, 2014 Full Review JD Duran InSession Film The family dynamics feel real and authentic in most cases, however some scenes and narrative pieces are very contrived. Rated: B+ Aug 12, 2024 Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies There is a lot of acting going on in August: Osage County and that's fine. Rated: 4/5 Dec 28, 2023 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies I was put off by these characters, their endless dysfunction, and their profane spite. This was a tiresome watch and tough movie to endure. It’s a shame because with this much talent I was expecting more. Rated: 2/5 Aug 19, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Eye C What a rush, gossiping hard with this. I’m a sucker for this family dramas. And what encounter between Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. All the cast is great. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/07/25 Full Review Les N Good god is that acting? I never thought I would be Streep and Roberts in a movie like this! Frankly unbelievable acting. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/03/25 Full Review Brittany P This is a great movie! For some, the plot could be a little dull, but for me, it’s all about the acting! It all feels so real and it’s appreciated :) Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/18/25 Full Review Iaminfinite E Still makes the bottom of my list as the worst film ever made. No element of the film is entertaining, interesting, relatable, or even captivating. It’s an overly indulgent, cruelly long, and needless presentation on white American narcissism, privilege, and abuse culture…without any stance or viewpoint highlighted by the direction. It’s hyper-focused melodrama for the sake of performing already performative emotions. It’s a five layer cake of bs. Neither the story nor the characters have any redeeming qualities, purpose, or need beyond self-defeating and willful victimization and unnecessary harm. Just an unflinching seat at a table with willfully deranged, evil, wastes of time who disrespect human life. This films only purpose is to deplete you. There are enough real-life examples of these people from afar…they are compelling enough from far away…not recommended that you tread closer with this film. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/14/25 Full Review Sheila L DEPRESSING! For nearly the entire movie, the characters scream hateful insults at each other. Some of the acting was good, but the sheer meanness of the family members toward each other is intolerable. Don't watch unless you want to come away with a bad mood. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/28/25 Full Review Stephen L Overwrought, overacted and emotionally hollow, August: Osage County is the kind of film that mistakes volume for depth. What begins as a character study quickly devolves into a melodramatic barrage of arguments, theatrics - and cringe-worthy monologues. Meryl Streep’s performance - far from "perfect" - is grating, filled with distracting mouth noises and cartoonish quirks. Julia Roberts is a rare bright spot, but even she can’t save this ensemble from collapsing under the weight of its own self-importance. Occasionally sharp, but mostly exhausting. This one’s a miss. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/24/25 Full Review Read all reviews
August: Osage County

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Cast & Crew

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John Wells

Director

Meryl Streep

Violet Weston

Julia Roberts

Barbara Weston

Ewan McGregor

Bill Fordham

Chris Cooper

Charles Aiken

Abigail Breslin

Jean Fordham

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August: Osage County

(L-R) Julianne Nicholson, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Abigail Breslin, Julia Roberts and Margo Martindale in "August: Osage County." (L-R) Julia Roberts as Barbara Weston, Meryl Streep as Violet Weston and Julianne Nicholson as Ivy Weston in "August: Osage County." (L-R) Meryl Streep as Violet Weston, Julianne Nicholson as Ivy Weston and Juliette Lewis as Karen Weston in "August: Osage County." (L-R) Meryl Streep as Violet Weston and Juliette Lewis as Karen Weston in "August: Osage County." (L-R) Chris Cooper as Charles Aiken and Benedict Cumberbatch as 'Little' Charles Aiken in "August: Osage County." Dermot Mulroney as Steve in "August: Osage County." (L-R) Meryl Streep as Violet Weston and Abigail Breslin as Jean Fordham in "August: Osage County." Benedict Cumberbatch as Little Charles Aiken and Julianne Nicholson as Ivy Weston in "August: Osage County." (L-R) Julia Roberts as Barbara Weston, Ewan McGregor as Bill Fordham and Meryl Streep as Violet Weston in "August: Osage County." (L-R) Julianne Nicholson as Ivy Weston, Meryl Streep as Violet Weston and Margo Martindale as Mattie Fae Aiken in "August: Osage County." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis The death and funeral of their father brings three sisters to the home of their mother, Violet (Meryl Streep), an acid-tongued, pill-popping cancer patient. Daughters Barbara (Julia Roberts), Karen (Juliette Lewis) and Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) -- along with their significant others and various other kin -- take the full brunt of their dysfunctional matriarch's venom, for Violet tells every one of them exactly what she thinks of them. Based on the play by Tracy Letts.
Director
John Wells
Producer
Steve Traxler, Jean Doumanian, George Clooney, Grant Heslov
Screenwriter
Tracy Letts
Distributor
Weinstein Co.
Production Co
The Weinstein Company, Jean Doumanian Productions, Battle Mountain Films, Smoke House, Grey Hour Production Services
Rating
R (Language|Drug Material|Sexual References)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 10, 2014, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 28, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$37.7M
Runtime
1h 59m
Sound Mix
Datasat, Dolby Digital
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