All In The Family…

family treeI saw August: Osage County recently. I thought is was an amazing film with incredible performances by an outstanding cast, especially Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Critics have written that Streep overacts and overshadows the others, but this is hog wash.

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If any of my readers were fortunate enough to see the play on Broadway, you would be cognisant of the fact that Streep does not over dramatize the part. The role calls for a strong, opinionated mother…that’s what the core of the play is about.

August: Osage County won the Tony Award for Best Play and also the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Put the film on your “Must See” list. It is one of the most truthful, thought provoking movies of the year…and, by the way, what a lousy year for great films.

The film, as did the play, causes one to pause and assess family. Can you really ever go home again? Short visits, but not extended stays. We all carry scars from our upbringing as well as wonderful memories and ideologies.

Family is a complicated deal. Relatives, are often no bargain. You inherit the aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws, who can be the most challenging. You do not just marry a person, you marry their entire family…you have no choice in the matter.

Relatives can be loudmouthed, bigoted, bitchy, derisive oafs and we are supposed to embrace them…blood is thicker than water and all that crap.

I think that you are very fortunate if you care about a handful of relatives. I am always enthralled by sisters and brothers who truly enjoy each others company. Is that a product of great parenting or luck?

Do not get me started on the topic of relatives. I grew up with the Carrington’s and the Huxtables. My father’s side was loving, supportive and non-judgmental. My mother’s side was not.

I shall always and eternally adore my parents and my grandparents, but I have created my own nuclear family and I am so lucky to have an unbelievable husband and the greatest daughter in the universe…they are mine so I can be completely prejudice and declarative.

Here’s hoping that you have your own perfect “Family Affair”.family

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