Synopsis:
August: Osage County is a comedic drama starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. A family crisis brings the Weston sisters back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in and the dysfunctional mother who raised them.
Review:
August: Osage County is so southern and so wonderful. While the playwright did an excellent job adapting the play into a screenplay, I could definitely tell the story had originated from stage. Not in a bad way!
Big casts are often a double-edged sword. Combining a bunch big-named actors in a single film is much like combining a group of all-star athletes on a national team. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. When the actors, or players, are willing to “play nice” with one another instead of attempting to outshine everyone else, the movie works. August: Osage County worked. The actors worked well together.
Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts deserve their Oscar nominations hands down. However, I believe Benedict Cumberbatch 
also deserved a nomination. He fully commits to his character (southern accent included) and performs flawlessly. I was beyond impressed with Cumberbatch in this film.
Although the story is about a dysfunctional family, all the actors function well with one another. They “play nice.” The movie is both a comedy and drama, provoking both laughter and tears. At the end, the viewer is almost shell-shocked at the downfall of the Weston family. August: Osage County is not an example of stagnant film making. The film does not purely entertain but makes its viewer think.
Overall, I give the movie 10/10 stars. A fantastic transition from stage to screen. August: Osage County‘s Oscar nomination for Best Film is definitely deserved.
I would highly recommend this film! It made me think about life using a different perspective. I laughed and I cried. This is an experience I will not forget for a long while.