When I first heard the title, I had no idea what to expect. I had never heard the expression, if that's what it is, but I knew I had heard of the film. When I saw that the legendary Elizabeth Taylor was one of the main characters, I couldn't want to see what it was all about, and I wasn't disappointed.
The setting of the movie was deep in the south. I feel that it is my calling to be a southern belle, so I was pretty happy to see that. The south is a funny kind of place. It is rich with history and honestly, their own culture. Family is a huge priority, yet so is perfection and appearances. Down there it seems that status is a huge thing people are striving to boost. In this movie, that is very evident.
One of the main characters, Brick, was a real stud back in the day. He was a very successful athlete and the pride of his hometown. When the movie begins, we are introduced to him though as a sad, drunk man. He was a man riddled with depression and very obvious resentment and pain towards something, but it takes almost the whole story to find out what that is. He is married to a very beautiful and glamorous lady, Maggie. She is also a complex character, striving to make her husband happy and interested in her, all the while trying to keep up their appearances as a happy couple.
Their struggles only heighten when you realize that they are at his family's home in order to hear about his fathers health. His brother, Gooper, and sister-in-law, Mae, are the types who make you feel super uncomfortable, not to mention their motley crew of "no-neck little monsters" who reek havoc in every scene they're present in.
I really enjoyed watching the dynamic of their family evolve. It was interesting to watch because it was so real. Every family get together of my extended family is just crazy. I love to observe my family and read their body expressions. In the movie, it was obvious that Brick was a raging alcoholic who wasn't too fond of his wife who desperately wanted his affection, Gooper and Mae were crazy suck-ups and business-like in the way they wanted to secure financial inheritance of the boys father, Big Daddy.
Big Daddy was a fun character for me to watch because he reminded me so much of my dad. A stubborn man who tells it just as it is. Gooper and Mae don't hold back in trying to get Big Daddy to favor them, and even go so far as to teach their children songs and play them at any moment for Big Daddy, something he doesn't seem to enjoy at all. Despite their attempts, Brick and Maggie are looked at favorably by Big Daddy.
Sibling rivalry is so prevalent in families and I liked that it was shown in the movie. Their whole family had problems, each relationship was very different from the next and created a whole web of issues. Big Daddy was the one who first started in the detangling of the web when he reached out to Brick and his alcohol/marriage problems. As the story went on and each characters struggles were voiced, you ending up feeling bad for all of them!
I really liked this movie. It captured how a family works; it's a group of complex people all of whom are going through and feeling different things. The film shows the true importance of communication between people. Lack of communication can assist in the development of many problems.
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