Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood is a chick flick, for sure. I didn't like it much, but I think that's because I'm a man. Women I know who have seen this movie liked it a little more that I did (my mom, for example). On the other hand, I also know women who didn't like this film. Now I'll talk about the film itself.
Ellen Burstyn stars as Vivi Walker, mother of magazine article writer Sidda Walker (Sandra Bullock). Sidda writes an article how she didn't like her childhood and blames her mother. Vivi reads the article, and refuses to speak to her daughter. Vivi's three friends Teensy (Fionnula Flanagan), Necie (Shirley Knight), and Caro (Maggie Smith) notice that she isn't acting like herself and when they found out what happened, they beg Sidda to come down and make peace with her mother. Upon her arrival, the three friends reveal to Sidda about the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, a life long band formed by the three friends and Vivi when they were children. They promised that they would be blood sisters or something like that, I don't remember very well. Along with this story, we flash back to Sidda when she was a child and see her relationship with her mother (played in these scenes by Ashley Judd). James Garner costars as Vivi's husband, but he's a very small part of the movie.
I liked some of the acting, particularly Maggie Smith and Sandra Bullock, and the film tells a story worth telling, but some problems drag it down. First, during the flashback scenes, I noticed that Sidda had a few brothers and sisters. However, in the present scenes, they're no where to be found. I admit that the movie is mainly about the relationship of Vivi and Sidda, but considering what happens in the flashback scenes (which I won't reveal), It would have been more plausible if we found out about the siblings now that they've grown up. Also, for me, the movie went on too long. The film is two hours long, but it feels more like it's four hours. Lastly, I thought that the Ellen Burstyn character was kind of a disappointment. Burstyn was much better and more convincing in Requiem For A Dream (2000), which she got a Best Actress nomination for.
So, I didn't hate this movie, but it didn't work for me. I think I didn't like it because I'm a man. I have nothing against "chick flicks". I think that some overcome the "only women will enjoy it" thinking such as Emma (1996), Kate And Leopold (2001), The Evening Star (1996), and arguably the best example, Gone With The Wind (1939). Ya-Ya doesn't cross that line. I know that women will enjoy it much more than men. I'm thinking some men would compare viewing this movie to medieval torture. Even though I didn't like it, I didn't think about it like that. To prove my point, I'm going to quote a couple I saw in the video store, trying to pick a movie out. The woman saw Ya-Ya on the shelf.
Woman: Oh, look. Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood. I wanted to see that.
Man: You can see that one by yourself, I'm not going to see it.
I at least was willing to see this film. Women will most likely enjoy it, most men probably won't, but I could be wrong.
2 Stars out of 4 Stars
Ellen Burstyn stars as Vivi Walker, mother of magazine article writer Sidda Walker (Sandra Bullock). Sidda writes an article how she didn't like her childhood and blames her mother. Vivi reads the article, and refuses to speak to her daughter. Vivi's three friends Teensy (Fionnula Flanagan), Necie (Shirley Knight), and Caro (Maggie Smith) notice that she isn't acting like herself and when they found out what happened, they beg Sidda to come down and make peace with her mother. Upon her arrival, the three friends reveal to Sidda about the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, a life long band formed by the three friends and Vivi when they were children. They promised that they would be blood sisters or something like that, I don't remember very well. Along with this story, we flash back to Sidda when she was a child and see her relationship with her mother (played in these scenes by Ashley Judd). James Garner costars as Vivi's husband, but he's a very small part of the movie.
I liked some of the acting, particularly Maggie Smith and Sandra Bullock, and the film tells a story worth telling, but some problems drag it down. First, during the flashback scenes, I noticed that Sidda had a few brothers and sisters. However, in the present scenes, they're no where to be found. I admit that the movie is mainly about the relationship of Vivi and Sidda, but considering what happens in the flashback scenes (which I won't reveal), It would have been more plausible if we found out about the siblings now that they've grown up. Also, for me, the movie went on too long. The film is two hours long, but it feels more like it's four hours. Lastly, I thought that the Ellen Burstyn character was kind of a disappointment. Burstyn was much better and more convincing in Requiem For A Dream (2000), which she got a Best Actress nomination for.
So, I didn't hate this movie, but it didn't work for me. I think I didn't like it because I'm a man. I have nothing against "chick flicks". I think that some overcome the "only women will enjoy it" thinking such as Emma (1996), Kate And Leopold (2001), The Evening Star (1996), and arguably the best example, Gone With The Wind (1939). Ya-Ya doesn't cross that line. I know that women will enjoy it much more than men. I'm thinking some men would compare viewing this movie to medieval torture. Even though I didn't like it, I didn't think about it like that. To prove my point, I'm going to quote a couple I saw in the video store, trying to pick a movie out. The woman saw Ya-Ya on the shelf.
Woman: Oh, look. Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood. I wanted to see that.
Man: You can see that one by yourself, I'm not going to see it.
I at least was willing to see this film. Women will most likely enjoy it, most men probably won't, but I could be wrong.
2 Stars out of 4 Stars