In memory of the beloved Dolly Parton, I watched a film full of timeless quotes, witty comebacks, sweet Southern hellos, and heartfelt goodbyes. Steel Magnolias, based on the play by Robert Harling, showed viewers how six Louisiana women navigate the ups and downs of life, family, friendship, motherhood, and growing older.
In the heartfelt 1989 film, a young woman new to town, Annelle Dupuy Desoto (Daryl Hannah), finds work at a local hair salon owned by Truvy Jones (Dolly Parton). A close-knit group of friends that meet regularly in Truvy’s salon welcomes Annelle into their circle. The friends get their hair done and open up about life, love, their fears, and their futures. As the story takes off and the young and optimistic Shelby Eatenton (Julia Roberts) prepares for her wedding day, with the help of her mother M’Lynn (Sally Field), these women build a sisterhood that becomes their support system throughout the movie.
Steel Magnolias is not only heartfelt, but cleverly hysterical. My favorite character is the grumpy next-door neighbor Ouiser Boudreaux, played by Shirley MacLaine. Typically the “angry neighbor” trope is an easily dislikable character, but I found Boudreaux brutally honest and entirely hilarious.
“I'm not crazy, I've just been in a very bad mood for 40 years!” says Boudreaux.
In MacLaine’s character, we get to see all sides of the neighbor who initially comes off as bitter, but has a soft side not even she can deny. She shares her sensitive side most with her closest friend, Clairee Belcher, played by Olympia Dukakis.
“I should have never said that in front of Shelby,” says Boudreaux.
“Ouiser, no one pays any attention to you,” says Belcher.
What I love about this film, more than the character dynamics and versatility across ages, is how it symbolizes hope, perseverance, and, when the seasons change and the flowers fade, a call to live again.
When children leave home, we get a scary diagnosis, a bad divorce entangles us, or we lose someone we love, heartbreak happens. I believe we can either lay down and let life roll on by, or we can stand up and live.
In the Christian faith, we are called to trust that God has our life in his hands, and that through every season, he walks with us. Sometimes he sends a brother or sister to encourage us along the way. That is what I saw this group of gals become to each other—a God-given support system.
Whether sharing a drink, getting your nails done, going to a fair, or sitting with a friend while they get their hair done, friendship gives us the extra boost we need to blossom and move with the shifts in life.
“I have a strict policy that nobody cries alone in my presence,” says Parton’s Truvy Jones. What a beautiful policy that is, seemingly lived out by the actress and singer in real life.
There might be some of these women in all of us: Someone looking to start again who might need more than a job, but a listening ear. A mother waving off her newly married daughter. A daughter starting a different chapter in her life, who will always need her mother. A hair salon owner hoping for the spark to enter back into her marriage and waiting patiently until it does. An angry old neighbor who might be bitter, but has the capacity to love deeply.
Or we might be someone who can, in life's most heartbreaking moments, cause everyone to laugh through their tears. These characters are gentle reminders that we can be as tough as steel but as delicate as magnolias: fragile and honest and human.
Steel Magnolias is streaming on Netflix, Crave TV, and Amazon Prime. It is also playing in some theaters.
About the Author
Isabelle Brown is a writer from Brampton, Ontario and a student at Redeemer University, where she is a reporter for The Crown. Her non-writing interests include painting and sketching.