Fried Green Tomatoes

Do you have comfort shows or media? Whenever I am overtired, too tired to think or just need a brain vacation, I retreat into favourite movies an TV series. This is one of those. I fell in love with this movie when it was first released (1991), bought and wore out the VHS tape (how we “streamed” in the olden days), bought the DVD, even bought and read the book (Fannie Flagg writes beautiful books). The casting for this is amazing, Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy (who was nominated for an Oscar in this role) forging an unlikely but transformative friendship in the present and Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker as Idgie and Ruth, the relationship at the heart of Ninny’s story within the story, then add Cicely Tyson - Perfection! I didn’t realize, until I read the book, what a brave adventure it was to take this book to screen. It bravely took on many themes that challenged the norms of the time with grace and power without alienating the audience from the deep emotional bonds of the characters. Of course, I love everything about this film and give this film a 10 (perfect) out of 10. [Drama with humour]

I know I watched this quintessential classic once before now, likely in the early 2000s, but I remembered absolutely no plot details this time, so it was as if I were watching for the first time. I kept thinking throughout and for days after, "==Kathy Bates is just so flippin' pretty!=="

Also, it's nearly impossible for me to see Mary Stuart Masterson's face without immediately thinking of Joon (in _Benny & Joon_, which is one of my favorites) but she played the part of Idgie Threadgoode brilliantly. I should add more of her filmography to my watch list.

Also also, I read some fun facts from the trivia section of IMDb.

Fact #1: Masterson’s stunt double quit at the last minute, so [spoiler]she did all the bee scenes herself. Those were impressive scenes! Reminds me of Link Neal and his bee beard. Anyone?[/spoiler]

Fact(s) #2: The author of the book the film is based on, Fannie Flagg, made an appearance in the movie, and she was good friends with the founder of Mary Kay, which also made an appearance in the movie – the company logo, not the founder. (I’m putting the book in my reading queue right now.)

Fact #3: The actresses wanted [spoiler]the romantic relationship depicted between their characters, Idgie and Ruth,[/spoiler] to be included in the movie as it was in the book, but the director and producers said no. There was certainly the hint of it though, huh? Suspicions confirmed! Namely my boyfriend’s, I was less sure.

There are of course more, but those were some notable ones I wanted to exclaim about.

Ya know, I’ve never tried a fried green tomato. If I do, I’ll come back and say whether or not I’m a fan.

Seeking a “friend” to cook with now after this, it’s urgent

A series of female characters and their problems.

Very obvious with its attempts to pull at the heartstrings, as such it can feel overly sentimental and mushy at times, but the backstory is genuinely interesting and the cast is solid, making you care about these people.

Nice movie with important messages reccomend it for sure. 7.4/10