'August: Osage County'

When we see a movie about a family, we expect them to be a little crazy.

There are the borderline psychotic Hoovers in “Little Miss Sunshine” and every family in every Tyler Perry film.

But the Westons in “August: Osage County” may take the cake.

Tracy Letts has written the most intricate, complex storyline I have ever tried to follow.

Actually, it’s a story web. Which is perfectly fitting, considering the Weston family is deteriorating as a result of the web of lies and secrets it has been spinning for decades.

It all starts when the family patriarch, Beverly Weston, played by Sam Shepard, goes missing. The family is called back to Oklahoma by his wife, Violet Weston.

Violet is a chronic pill-popper battling oral cancer. But the cancer does nothing to dull her sharp tongue, a weapon her three daughters — Barbara, Ivy and Karen —  are all too familiar with.

Eventually, Beverly is found dead in a lake, and it’s suspected he committed suicide.

It’s at the dinner after the funeral when all the trouble truly begins and the web begins to unravel.

Violet, played by the ever-perfect Meryl Streep, goes on a drug-fueled verbal rampage, attacking her daughters and her late husband until Barbara (Julia Roberts) lunges at her in an attempt to seize the pill bottle in her hand.

The production of the film perfectly compliments the writing. Regardless of all the drama, the story is still about an unassuming family in middle America.

There is a tremendous amount of natural lighting, which is to be commended. Wells’ use of shadow seems to be a metaphor for the complex personalities of the characters.

If the film has a flaw, it’s the lack of an antagonist.

There is no one villain in “August: Osage County.” Everyone has sinned.  If one is bad, they’re all bad.

As unsatisfied as the movie leaves you feeling, it’s an absolute must-see. This film is what all screenwriters should strive to create. If that’s not enough incentive, it will at least prove your family isn’t as crazy as you might think.