Again, living out my Oscar shame. Though, Steel Magnolias surprisingly was not nominated for as many Oscars as I would have assumed. Thanks to AMC Plus, I was able to watch this without the accessibility I need. I think about the supposed streaming wars, and the inevitable collapse of streamers, and I kind of wonder if the ones that are doing things like ignoring accessibility features will survive. Food for thought.

But, likely your local theatre will do Steel Magnolias at some point, so you might have to cross that bridge of getting audio description in live theatre. This is a classic, despite low nominations, recognizing just Julia Robert’s in supporting actress.

The movie is about a gaggle of women in a beauty salon. A new face comes to town and is almost immediately embraced by the women in this town, and in this salon, and the stories almost always take a female centric approach. Despite having male actors like Sam Shepard, this one is about the ladies, and some of them are truly exceptional.

The casting of Dolly Parton is spot on. I thought she was delightful, and such an anchor in this story. More than anyone, she feels so appropriate in her role, and brings this folksy warmth in a way no other actress ever could. The genuine nature Dolly has exudes into this role. It’s not so much acting as it is a part that should have been written for her from the very beginning. She’s never received an Oscar nomination for her acting, and while 9 to 5 could have an argument, I’d have likely given her a Best Actress nod for this. She was a clear standout.

Also, the dynamic duo of mother/daughter with Sally Field and Julia Robert’s was quite strong, and provides the emotional anchor the film needs. Following my recent viewing of Terms Of Endearment, it almost seems as if Shirley Maclaine (who is also among the cast) has a type. Robert’s is radiant in that way when an actress is just bursting onto the scene and feels like a bright new discovery. And Field, who by this point already had a series of great performances, is once again delivering strong work.

The other half of the sextet does fine, but I can’t say this is the finest work of any of their careers. Olympia Dukakis, although not in a hundred different films, is mostly wasted. Maclaine spends most of the film butting heads with her, and it’s just not the plot that carries the film. Daryl Hannah, in a relatively early performance in her career, does nice work as a young lady who has found religion and her husband has not. It’s not her best work, but a glimmer of what is to come.

most of the film takes place in this salon, and because the screenplay mirrors that of a dialogue heavy play, there aren’t many breaks to provide what might be considered lush audio description. That’s not an excuse to not provide it, but the reality around this film, is that if you wanted to watch this film without audio description, it wouldn’t be the absolute worst experience, if you couldn’t find an accessible version. There are moments, especially with Roberts’s character, where we slip out of the typical mode and into some quasi-hallucination experience. It is in these moments where the audio description is most needed.

While this is my first time with Steel Magnolias, I’ve had many an opportunity to see a live production over the years, at theatres that would not have the infrastructure to host audio description. Some community theatres are just happy they have a few speakers and lights, and some kind of a board. Steel Magnolias is a popular show for theatres that often can’t offer a lot of production or technical design, so while I think the movie probably made an effort, this is something frequently done with nearly bare bones, and just some terrific actresses.

If it weren’t for the few moments that Robert’s is having in this film, I’d grade it. But, I’m sticking to my guns on this one.

Final Grade: Unwatchable

Predicted Grade: B, B+, A-