Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates) is an unhappy housewife, whose reached middle-age and feels that her life is going nowhere. It doesn't help that her husband Ed (Gailard Sartain) continually ignores her and his convalescing aunt can't stand her, to the point of throwing objects at her when ever she goes to visit.
It is on one of these visits that a chance meeting with a sprightly old lady, Ninny Threadgoode (Jessica Tandy) leads to a surprising friendship. Ninny tales Evelyn a fascinating tale about two women who lived more than 50 years ago, in a little town called Whistle Stop, somewhere in Alabama. There was Idgie (Mary Stuart Masterson) a wild tomboy with a disregard for authority and her friend Ruth (Mary Louise Parker) who was reserved but with a heart of gold. Together they ran the local café which served good old southern cooking, fried green tomatoes and a huge portion of laughter and friendship, maybe the occasional murder.
Ninny's stories inspire Evelyn to do something about her life as their friendship grows.
This is one of those films which is like an old jumper which you loved and kept, but is now out of fashion or buried behind all the new ones. When you put the jumper on, you feel warm and cosy and good memories come flooding back. It's exactly the same with this film, it sits in your collection, gathering dust, as you get newer films, but all of a sudden you come across
it and when you watch it, the story comes flooding back and it makes you feel good.
The main storyline of the film is the friendship between Idgie and Ruth and not as you would first expect the friendship between Evelyn and Ninny. We see, through many little stories told by Ninny, that although Idgie and Ruth didn't hit it off to start with, over time their friendship grew into an unbreakable bond and they would do anything to protect each other and their close friends. All these stories empower Evelyn to do something about her dull life, this leads to some very funny scenes including a self help class for women they are asked to straddle mirrors.
The star of the film for me is the wonderful Jessica Tandy (Driving Miss Daisy); her portrayal of Ninny is absolutely brilliant, so much so that she was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar for this role. Through every scene she comes across as someone who has seen a lot and learnt a lot and loves every minute of life. Next there is Kathy Bates as Evelyn Crouch, prior to this Bates was primarily known for her very scary role in Misery, so it was a surprise to see her playing this more comedic role. Bates has done a wonderful job of showing us a woman struck by a mid life crisis, but also showing us a funnier side as she tries to pull her self out of her depression, watch out for her dancing on a trampoline and singing "Stop in The Name of Love", by the end of the film, she has completely transformed. Then we have Idgie played by Mary Stuart Masterson who went onto to appear in "Benny & Joon" and Ruth played by Mary Louise Parker, these two stars seem to effortlessly play there parts and are a total joy to watch. The supporting cast in the film are just as important as the stars and there are some great performances from Stan Shaw, Cicely Tyson and Gailard Sartain. Also look out for Chris O' Donnell who appears in the film for a few very important scenes.
The film is directed by John Avnet who usually works as a producer. He has done a beautiful job of catching all the sentiment of the film allowing the story to be the star of the film. He has been fortunate to have not only an excellent cast to work with but some very beautiful locations which really help capture the mood and period of the film. His choice of shots within the scenes are also brilliant as they show the emotion of the scene, whether it's loneliness or happiness. As you would expect with a film set in the Deep South, the soundtrack features plenty of moody, bluesy numbers but also some very soft orchestral pieces which help demonstrate the emotions of the piece. There is also the bonus of some more modern fun tracks such as "Stop in the Name of Love".
The Cast -----------
Jessica Tandy .... Ninny Threadgoode Kathy Bates .... Evelyn Couch Mary Stuart Masterson .... Idgie Threadgoode Mary-Louise Parker .... Ruth Jamison Stan Shaw .... Big George Gailard Sartain .... Ed Couch Cicely Tyson .... Sipsey Timothy Scott .... Smokey Lonesome (as Tim Scott) Richard Riehle .... Reverend Scroggins Raynor Scheine .... Curtis Smoote Chris O'Donnell .... Buddy Threadgoode
Technical Details ---------------------
Certificate: PG Length: 124 mins
Bonus Material ------------------
Sadly there are no extra features on the disc; this seems to be quite common as they transfer many older films over to DVD. It would have been a nice feature to see what the inspiration behind the film was as it is such a touching story.
Although it is not a special feature, the DVD version of the film, is longer than the original video version as they have put back some deleted scenes into the film.
The Message & Christian View Point --------------------------------------------
As with many films which are based in the early 20th century, it deals with the subject of racial prejudice. It does this very admirably as it shows that no man or woman should be persecuted for the colour of their skin.
It also shows the importance of having good friends who will always be there you. In my experience these sort of people don't come along to often and you only really know who your true friends are when the going gets tough.
Conclusion & Rating -------------------------
This film is my comfy jumper, I probably only watch it once a year but each time it never fails to make me feel good about myself. It's not a weepy or a romance, it is just an excellent story acted out by some very talented actors and directed with the emphasis on the story. No matter if you're young or old, male or female, this film has something for everyone, humour, drama, murder and a couple of surprise twists to the story.
The film is currently available at £4.97 on Amazon, and even without any special features, this DVD is excellent value.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Such a great review, thank you! And thank you also for reminding me to watch this good old favourite of mine again -haven't seen it for at least three years! The other reviews seem very good too, I think I'll be spending some time in here... :)
![Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe [DVD] [1991]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78501506.jpg "Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe [DVD] [1991]")
exceptional by (3%):
very helpful by (94%):
helpful by (3%):
