Fried Green Tomatoes

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Fried Green Tomatoes

PG-13

1991

2h 10m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

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46 Reviews

87%

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100,000+ Ratings

On one of trapped housewife Evelyn Couch's (Kathy Bates) Wednesday nursing home visits, she encounters Ninny Threadgoode (Jessica Tandy), a colorful old woman who brightens Evelyn's outlook by sharing tales from her past. As Ninny recounts the exploits of her free-spirited sister-in-law Idgie (Mary Stuart Masterson), owner of a small Alabama café in the 1920s, and the bond Idgie shared with her friend Ruth (Mary-Louise Parker), Evelyn gains the confidence to change her own life for the better.

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Critics Consensus

Fried Green Tomatoes' tearjerking drama is undeniably manipulative, but in the hands of a skilled cast that includes Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates, it's also powerfully effective.

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Hugo Davenport

Daily Telegraph (UK)

05/20/2022

Do not be deterred by the indigestible title nor, if feministically inclined, by the fact that it is directed by mere man Jon Avnet. It is funny, cleverly constructed, often rather moving, and only occasionally allows sentiment to slop over the bucket.

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Michael Sragow

The New Yorker

06/02/2014

[A] clunky, fraudulent, yet apparently crowd-pleasing laugh-and-tear-jerker.

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John Hartl

Seattle Times

06/02/2014

2.5/4

When a group of actors this gifted and lively tries so good-naturedly to deliver such an obvious message, the audience is left in the position of trying to stop a tidal wave. You may hate yourself for responding, but you're smothered before you know it.

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Malinda Lo

AfterEllen.com

05/06/2024

Fried Green Tomatoes is iconic in its presentation of love across the years, across generations and across boundaries. It’s a tamed but still powerful love story -- and a lesbian classic, if only in subtext.

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Rex Sterling

Alabama Forum

05/04/2023

A compelling and enjoyable movie.

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Maria Vetrano

Gay Community News (Boston)

05/17/2022

The final and most important question is, is Fried Green Tomatoes worth all the compromise or will you leave the theater forlorn and bleary eyed? Not to worry... it will leave you with that warm, gummy feeling you get when Bette Midler sings a lullabye.

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Tom and Pat Hardy

05/14/2023

A great movie about the South and Southern people. Some of the funniest lines in any movie, and some of the most heart-breaking scenes..

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Nov 3

A success in 1 1/6 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Copyright 1991-2025 by Universal Pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Filmed on December 27th, 1991, in color!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ages 13 and older!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Michael W

@mawilps Nov 3

This dramedy was great. Kathy Bates, Mary-Louise Parker, Mary Stuart Masterson, Jessica Tandy, Stan Shaw, Cicely Tyson, and the rest of the cast did a great job in this movie. The story of the movie was dramatic and humorous. It's about finding out who you really are and making friends in the process. If you haven't seen this movie yet, check it out sometime. It's worth watching.

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VITALII H

@freakynickison Oct 28

I like when you're watching the movie and throughout it you feel different kinds of emotions. I experienced empathy, happiness, sadness, irony and a whole bunch of others. That's what I really appreciate about the movies. Technically it's a drama movie but it's also a comedy, romance in some way, and just in general a great movie. You can find yourself in one of the main character Evelyn, which is so relatable to me. If you like old drama/romance movies then you're definitely gonna enjoy this one.

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Bronson K.

@Bmantomatoes Oct 3

90’s classic is very heart breaking.

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E W F

Sep 22

This my absolute most favorite movie of all time. I love the American gothic nature of it... the old Southern town and it's history that still peeks through the rust and overgrown foliage. It is a tale in both the "present" and past and it is full of heartfelt moments with lighthearted laughs and above all... the endurance of the human spirit and the complications with humanity itself. It's beautiful. I love it.

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Jon Avnet

Director

Kathy Bates

Evelyn Couch

Jessica Tandy

Ninny Threadgoode

Mary Stuart Masterson

Idgie Threadgoode

Mary-Louise Parker

Ruth Jamison

Nick Searcy

Frank Bennett

Fried Green Tomatoes: Official Clip - Taking the Stand

2:43

Fried Green Tomatoes: Official Clip - The Best Birthday

2:07

Fried Green Tomatoes: Official Clip - A Lady Always Knows When to Leave

2:57

Fried Green Tomatoes: Official Clip - Evelyn the Destroyer

1:07

Fried Green Tomatoes: Official Clip - The Spark Back in Marriage

1:34

Fried Green Tomatoes: Official Clip - Ruth Leaves Frank

2:55

Fried Green Tomatoes: Official Clip - Buddy's Accident

3:00

Fried Green Tomatoes: Official Clip - Frank Intrudes on Ruth

1:25

Fried Green Tomatoes: Official Clip - Food Fight

2:08

Fried Green Tomatoes: Official Clip - Parking Lot Rage

2:04

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Synopsis

On one of trapped housewife Evelyn Couch's (Kathy Bates) Wednesday nursing home visits, she encounters Ninny Threadgoode (Jessica Tandy), a colorful old woman who brightens Evelyn's outlook by sharing tales from her past. As Ninny recounts the exploits of her free-spirited sister-in-law Idgie (Mary Stuart Masterson), owner of a small Alabama café in the 1920s, and the bond Idgie shared with her friend Ruth (Mary-Louise Parker), Evelyn gains the confidence to change her own life for the better.

Director: Jon Avnet
Producer: Jon Avnet, Jordan Kerner
Screenwriter: Fannie Flagg, Carol Sobieski
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Fried Green Tomatoes Productions, Universal Pictures, Avnet/Kerner Productions, Act III Communications, Electric Shadow Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 27, 1991, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $81.2M
Runtime: 2h 10m
Sound Mix: Surround

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