58
Metascore
45 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90VarietyScott FoundasVarietyScott FoundasThis two-ton prestige pic won’t win the hearts of highbrow critics or those averse to door-slamming, plate-smashing, top-of-the-lungs histrionics, but as a faithful filmed record of Letts’ play, one could have scarcely hoped for better.
- 80The TelegraphTim RobeyThe TelegraphTim RobeyA vastly enjoyable theatrical banquet, if perhaps not a profound one, is served up in a bit of a rush here, as if they can't wait to get the next sitting in. But you certainly don't come away feeling hungry.
- 75ObserverRex ReedObserverRex ReedThe brilliant screenplay by Mr. Letts sets up the narrative story of the Weston clan in a carefully constructed series of episodes in which the family history is finally revealed. There’s great acting in every frame, but by the end of the ordeal, the viewer may be too exhausted to care.
- 70TimeRichard CorlissTimeRichard CorlissIt’s Roberts’ deepest, strongest, liveliest film work.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyWells directs the actors smoothly enough in individual scenes, but his work lacks the cohesiveness to really pull all the characters together and convey their shared past.
- 63Slant MagazineSlant MagazineWhat works about the film can largely be attributed to the original text, which is full of cruel twists and savage blows that Tracy Letts wisely retains for the screen.
- 48Film.comLaremy LegelFilm.comLaremy LegelWhat’s truly unnerving about the whole thing is how good certain scenes are, and how great a few of the performances come off, especially Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep – they’re doing amazing work, only it’s the equivalent of building a lovely home on a foundation of quicksand.
- 42The PlaylistKevin JagernauthThe PlaylistKevin JagernauthAugust: Osage County is a film of big, wild gestures, plate smashing, screaming and tears, but not nuance, and it all has the effect of leaving one deadened, not moved.
- 40The GuardianCatherine ShoardThe GuardianCatherine ShoardIt's bracing, but it does feel closer to panto than melodrama, more exhausting than illuminating.