Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

Fried Green Tomatoes has no shame in being sappy and sentimental. But if you don't get hung up on that, it's really a sweet movie about reminiscing on the good and bad of life, where underneath everything the real story is about the people you love. Of course it helps that the movie is well-made and well-acted.

So few movies have the ability to work the human magic that this film does. From the beginning you cringe, celebrate, heal, mourn, and realistically become a part of the lives of these people (I won't say characters, but people as they become people and no longer actors / characters). Hating and loving the people, there is no way to watch Fried Green Tomatoes and not have it impact you. That is unless your heart is scarred and become calloused to the point where you don't let anything in anymore.The ins and outs, ups and downs... and oh yes.. the BBQ! It shape shifts you and draws you in. And for a moment of your life you are no longer you, but one of them. Just watch it. And if you would like to escape for 2 hours this is how you do it.So Hollywood! Why won't you, can't you, make movies like this anymore? Its budget was 11 million and it grossed 13 times that much. I am sure it's not the money that stops you. I am not sure you have the talent to make a movie with the magic and the power of FGT.

Fried green tomatoes serves up a serving of feel good entertainment, heartfelt moments, female empowerment, and important messages. This film tells the powerful story of Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy in 1991. Kathy's character meets Tandy's character in a rest home while Kathy's husband is visiting his sick aunt. They quickly form a very special friendship and Jessica begins to tell Kathy stories about two women from years ago. Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary Louise Parker come in then, idgie and Ruth. Kathy starts to get inspired by the stories of idgie and Ruth and she starts to change her life for the better, getting into shape, improving her dull marriage with her husband, and becoming less scared to be herself and speak her mind. The stories told about idgie and Ruth involve going through tragedy, becoming lifelong friends and being there for each other. The performances in this sweet southern film are outstanding! Tandy and Bates are riveting and a joy to watch. Masterson and Parker have incredible on screen friend chemistry and their acting is nothing short of amazing, it's raw and real, you believe every thing they do and say. Cicely Tyson is good here too, a very brave and fearless character. The movie offers up great performances from the entire cast, very well written dialogue, heartwarming stories and a great score. The ending makes me cry happy tears every freaking time! 10/10.

Here's the real summary of the film: The story is a flashback about two women, a butch feminist rescuing a "femme", helpless woman from her racist, abusive Southern husband (is there any other kind?) She kills the husband and feeds the body to unwitting, stupid Southerners as BBQ. haha! Jokes on those stupid Southerners! Happy ending for Hollywood. During the film, the women grow together with grrl power and start their own business (because that's the path to feminine empowerment) and befriend weak men they are able to use to help make them more powerful.If you liked this, then you'll love Thelma and Louise which is a similar type of grrl power film. Another film with a similar theme is the Emma Stone vehicle The Help which features African servants spilling the secrets of privileged white Southern women (which I found funny in retrospect because when Hollywood stars got hacked and had their nude pictures posted on the web, they got all upset about the invasion of privacy.) These films are useful to watch to see the contempt Hollywood has for the working class people that keep them fat and happy.