If you’re interested in starting off the new year with a movie that tugs on the heartstrings, Steel Magnolias might be just the movie to watch. The film is coming to Max on January 1. The 1989 movie starred Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis, and Daryl Hannah. The star-studded ensemble cast makes the audience feel wrapped in a warm hug, then emotionally devastated, and suddenly hopeful by the end of its 119-minute run.
The logline for the movie is as follows:
“A young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friendship and welcome her into the fold.”
The film’s central focus is on the group of women: M’Lynn (Field), Truvy (Parton), Ouiser (MacLaine), Annelle (Hannah), and Clairee (Dukakis). The film begins with M’Lynn’s daughter, Shelby, played by Julia Roberts just a year before her massive hit Pretty Woman, getting married. In the middle of those preparations, Annelle shows up to Truvy’s beauty salon where M’Lynn and Shelby are getting their hair done. The group gossips, a theme throughout the movie, in Truvy’s shop, about Shelby’s impending nuptials, about the town, the what’s what and the who’s who. The film would span roughly two years, with the penultimate scene an absolute tear-jerker (that should’ve won Sally Field awards).
‘Steel Magnolias’ Was Based on a True Story
The film was originally made into a stage play by Robert Harling. Harling had based the play on his experience with his sister’s death from diabetic complications. The story is still to this day performed as a stage play, consisting of an all-women cast, usually almost entirely taking place inside Truvy’s beauty shop with male voices heard over the radio. Steel Magnolias will be available to stream on Max January 1. Stay with Collider for the latest updates.
