.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd, James Garner, Fionnula Flanagan, Ellen Burstyn

Directed by Callie Khouri
Rolling Stone: star rating
5 0
Community: star rating
5 0 0
June 5, 2002

Chick flicks aren't all hell. Look at Thelma and Louise. So when Callie Khouri, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of that feminist firecracker, decided to make her directing debut and co-write the film version of Rebec, Sidda bitches about life with her mom, Vivi (Ellen Burstyn). Big mistake. Vivi disowns her, refusing to come to her wedding. That leaves the inevitable reconciliation in the hands of Vivi's Ya-Ya girls club: Caro (Maggie Smith), Teensy (Fionnula Flanagan) and Necie (Shirley Knight). They come to New York, drug and kidnap Sidda, and force her (and us) to endure countless confusing flashbacks to the younger Ya-Yas. Except for Ashley Judd, who shows true grit as Vivi in her babe days, the effect is like being buried in molasses. For guys whose pain threshold is way low when it comes to the bonding of Steel Magnolias, Ya-Ya is a definite no-no.

prev
Movie Review Main Next

ADD A COMMENT

Community Guidelines »
loading comments

loading comments...

COMMENTS

Sort by:
    Read More

    Movie Reviews

    More Reviews »
    Daily Newsletter

    Get the latest RS news in your inbox.

    Sign up to receive the Rolling Stone newsletter and special offers from RS and its
    marketing partners.

    X

    We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.

    Song Stories

    “Help Me”

    Joni Mitchell | 1974

    Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

    More Song Stories entries »