Steel Magnolias- The Lifetime Movie
 

Does anyone plan to watch the new Steel Magnolias?

I don't think I will. The original is based on a real woman's life (Phi Mu sister Susan Harling Robinson), so I don't understand how they can rewrite that. I'm curious how her brother feels about the story being redone.

ETA: I just read an article that said Robert Harling was happy with it. I just don't get it though. Some of these old movies are so good, perfect, classic..... why touch them?

I don't think that it's "re-written" -all the original characters are there. The only difference that I can observe is that it's an all black cast. Many movies are becoming re-made and it appears to be (can't say for certain) that it's a pet project of Queen Latifah. So why wouldn't Lifetime jump on board? There's money to be made. People love the original movie and also love many of the actresses featured in this remake. Anything that gets Phylicia Rashad on my tv is a GOOD thing.

Does everything need to be remade? No. We all know Hollywood is taking things to their limits lately. But I think this will have a nice modern feel to it. The point is sisterhood in the face of tragedy and I don't think that will be lost. As a black Phi Mu I'm looking forward to a mixing of my "two cultures". I just hope they do it justice.

I want to see it. From the previews it looks to be well done and true to the original script.

The cast is fabulous. I can't wait to see it!

From what I've heard it's word for word but not sure.

Queen Latifah is one of my faves, but I still don't think it should've been remade.... black, white, or Asian cast. You just don't touch something like this.

Overdramatic much? It's a movie, not the Bible.

Well they filmed it in my neighbor - the house where the wedding reception takes place is a street over and on my running route (ran by on the last day of filming for that scene). So I want to see just because of that.

I couldn't tell from the previews, but it seemed like...is Queen Latifah playing Shelby???? She's a little long in the tooth for that particular part.

I want to see it. I love Queen Latifah!

I can't wait for the next remake... Steel Magnolias--3D.

Because it's based on a sorority sister's life. I don't understand how you change a true story.

No, she's playing M'Lynn, Shelby's mother.

I don't think it's really accurate to call it a "true story." It is a fictionalized story based -- sometimes more loosely, sometimes less so -- on the death and humor-filled approach to life of the playwright's sister and on the women who surrounded her. Harling didn't write the play as a reenactment of his sister's life and death. Like any good play, it's bigger than that.

And fwiw, according to the New York Times, the all-black cast was Harling's idea.

Based on =\= factual account.

You always say things so well, MC.

While I'll most probably watch it, I am SO SICK of Hollyweird remaking movies! One of my favorite old movies is The Women. A couple of years ago, it was remade. I honestly don't know anyone who saw it but me. Which would be a good thing, because it was awful.

I think that, so many times, we have expectations from the first movie, that we can never really get into the remake.

I tend to agree about remakes of movies, but I think it bears remembering that Steel Magnolias is first and foremost a stage play, which has been staged many, many times with all kinds of casts. The movie was an adaption of the play, and it included numerous characters (including every male character) never seen in the play. I don't know whether the new adaption follows the first movie in that regard or not. But it seems to me that in cases like this, a new movie is not so much a remake of the earlier movie as it is a new adaption of the stage play.

That's what I was going to say (though not quite as well, I'm sure). I saw it on stage a few times before I ever saw the original movie, and enjoyed both adaptations. I feel like the story Harling wanted to tell is pretty universal, so as long as a production is well cast & directed, it doesn't matter who plays the roles.

I saw the most recent one and liked it. I never knew there was an original. Hope that doesn't happen with this one.

This Lifetime one is a pretty classic cast.

I'm going to watch it - and I'm someone that is BORED of remakes. lol

Okay, I'll admit that there's one scene in the original Steel Magnolias that drives me wild. The day before the transplant surgery, when Shelby get her hair cut, she then asks for a manicure. Shelby is a nurse. NOBODY having major surgery wears nail polish - especially KIDNEY surgery! - because the surgical team needs to see the nails and any change in color etc. Surely Shelby would have known that - yet I understand that the real life brother had to have a vehicle to introduce the surgery. It still makes me crazy!

Pretty sure her brother is laughing all the way to the bank since he owns the copyright and has made a fortune from this story.

Steel Magnolias was far from the "true story" of Shelby. I know a lot of people that knew her in real life, as well as her Pediatrician husband who supposedly remarried 3 months after her death (to his patient's mother.) It's one of my favorite movies, but it is very fictionalized. I may have to catch the new one...but maybe not. I can't imagine anyone playing Ouiser Boudreaux but Shirley Maclaine!

Thank you for clarifying that! I had always heard it was a true story, not loosely based.

I do know her real son has visited the Phi Mu chapter a couple times.

I am looking forward to seeing it.

I've seen the movie (original) a gazillion times and I love it. I've seen the play and actually tried out for the local production of it.

The previews look amazing. I love Queen Latifah and the rest of the cast looks awesome.

I knew that the play was loosely based of her real life. It can only be, she died when her son was so young. Everything he wrote had to be based off what he was told by friends and family members.

I do hope that this new movie shows the sorority aspect like the first one did. (I'm talking about when M'Lynn is putting Shelby's corsage on her in her room, there is a composite on Shelby's wall).

It was written by her brother, not her son.

I tried to watch it, but couldn't even make it half-way through. Oh my, that was unfortunate. If you've not watched the original, please do! Very 30s, but it's wonderful!

I'll probably watch this remake though.

If you look carefully (we've paused and slow motioned it), there's a composite, picture of pink carnations, a paddle, and she's wearing a Phi Mu badge.

I am watching it now, but having trouble with it. I love Phylicia Rashad, but Alfre Woodard is just too nice to be Weezer! I need Shirley McClaine!

OK, I saw about 45 minutes of the last part. Hard to tell, it was so chock-a-block with commercials.
theta lady is right, Alfre Woodard just sort of disappears. It's hard to tell why Phylicia Rashad picks on her so much. She just seems to glare back with a confused look on her face. Weezer's craziness doesn't come through, which means Phylicia's lines fall a little flat. Phylicia does a great job, though.
Queen is fabulous, but I think the scene where she shows her anger is soft-peddled and seems to be cut short. Sally Field did such an awesome job showing the range of emotions.
Also the entire film seemed too dark, and I'm not talking about atmosphere or skin color!! Especially in the beauty shop, the set lighting seemed a little too dark.

I saw it. I didn't particularly love it but I didn't hate it either. But then again, I never saw the original.

Same story with this one--I liked the remake and LOVED the cast but it wasn't as good as the original. They rarely are. I appreciated the attempted modernization of it but it didn't look updated enough in the clothes and jargon. It felt like they filmed it as if this was decades ago then just threw in a few 2012 references and dance steps so you know what year it is supposed to be.

For me, the most interesting race-switch production was probably Othello, where Patrick Stewart (Star Trek's Picard) played Othello and the rest of the cast was of African Descent.

I'm glad I DVRed it!

Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis and Daryl Hannah aren't Southern either.

There are all different kinds of Southern. Some would argue that while the cast of the original movie sounded "generically Hollywood Southern," they did not sound like they were from Louisiana.

ACK! i MISSED IT! DH had DVRed the football game, and put it on, not telling me that Steel Magnolias was on. He will pay for it dearly.

AOIIAlum, I have seen the original versions of both Steel Magnolias and The Women. The Women is probably my favorite black & white film, it's just so campy.

So was the new version of Steel Magnolias still set in Louisiana, or not?

It's going to be repeated a lot--I already have it cued up to DVR on Saturday night.

Yes, it was.

I LOVE the old original version of The Women. So much fun!

I saw a bit of the remake of Steel Magnolias, got into it a bit late but I thought it was pretty good. I adore Queen and really anything she does.