Rating of
2.5/4
Steel Magnolias Manipulation
John - wrote on 02/12/17
There's a reason I haven't given this top marks, even though, for the most part, I think it deserves it. The reason is that I feel myself being manipulated when I watch it. I know that sounds a little weird, considering that it is the objective of most films to manipulate its audience, but I don't like to feel so obviously directed in my movie-watching experience. Having said that, in essence, this film is a rather good one. It's basically comic, not because of the situations it depicts, but because of the things the characters say. That means that it is a collection of mostly funny one-liners, which are building up to a tearjerking tragedy. This makes me think that the aim of the film is to have you laughing one minute and blubbing the next, which I can't help feeling, is a pretty orchestrated and deliberate thing.
