FRIED GREEN TOMATOES (1992 - COMEDY / DRAMA / ROMANCE) **** out of *****
(Ah, the Deep South... where nothing is awesome unless it's been deep fried to death in an ocean of hot sizzling oil...)
CAST: Mary Louise Parker, Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Jessica Tandy, Chris O'Donnell, Cicely Tyson, Tim Scott, Lois Smith, Stan Shaw, Gary Basaraba, Grayson Fricke.
DIRECTOR: Jon Avnet
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and some compelling reasons to go take a culinary vacation in Alabama - straight ahead
IT'S LIKE THIS: Humbly speaking, I circled the globe several times when I was younger. I've been to more countries than I would care to share, for modesty's sake. But there are only four places on this Earth whose names (or mere mention of them) suddenly make me as hungry as a cat in a tuna cannery. They are: (1) the Philippine Islands, which I always associate with scrumptious visions of adobo (meat stewed in garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar), sinigang (fish or meat and vegetables stewed in a sour tamarind fruit broth), leche flan (Spanish custard but done with Philippine flair), and lumpia (egg rolls so deliciously bite-sized that you could ingest 100 of them without realizing it); (2) Spain, which colonized the Philippines for over 3 centuries and passed on their culinary traditions to the islanders, and where I am always haunted by images of tapas of all sorts and sizes; (3) Italy, which is basically synonymous with pastas and pizzas and gelatos of all shades of the culinary rainbow; and last but not the least: (4) the American Deep South, where I spent some time in my twenties, and where I must have gorged on every possible fried food there is to sample - including fried pickle (the mind reels) and... fried green tomatoes.
That last bit is germane to our next review, because, well, it's the fucking title of the movie. And there are at least two scenes in the flick where the characters chow down the stuff like it's Southern Crack. Can't say I blame them... because that shit looks good, son. Anyhow, our story starts in modern-day (read: 1992) Alabama where me meet one of our heroines. She is Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates). Evelyn is one of those lovely, elegant ladies who is always gracious and kind and patient and letting things slide. We first glimpse this tendency for stoicism and sacrifice when the crazy aunt she and her husband Ed (Tim Scott) are visiting in a nursing home throws some blunt objects at her.
Anyhow, Evelyn leaves Ed alone with the old biddy - and retires to the nursing home's lounge to stuff her face with the Nestle corporation's entire line of candy products starting with Mr. Goodbar. Fortunately, before she can eat herself into a sugar frenzy, she is interrupted by Ninny Threadgoode (Jessica Tandy), a temporary resident of the nursing home. Ninny basically pirouettes in and starts chatting up Evelyn in that way of crazy old ladies everywhere, which basically means that Evelyn has to give Ninny her full attention lest she get bitch-slapped.
Ninny spins the yarn of her sister-in-law Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Ruth Jamison (Mary Louise Parker), two best friends from the 1930's who ran a bustling cafe called The WhistleStop in a small town nearby. Apparently, Idgie was your classic unpredictable wild child, while Ruth was your average good girl. Naturally, these two clicked like Andrew Garfield's small but perfect ass and the Spiderman costume he covered it with. In other words, a match made in heaven. Seems Idgie rescued Ruth from her abusive asshole husband and helped her raise her son, Buddy Jr. (Grayson Fricke), who is named after Ruth's dead childhood sweetheart - who was Idgie's beloved older brother. No wonder Ruth's husband is such a douche to her - she named his son after a ghost who used to fuck her.
Anyway, in the present day, Evelyn is so inspired by the saga of Idgie and Ruth that she begins to feel empowered. She does the following: (1) stop eating, like, 100 candy bars every day; (2) start exercising; and most important of all: (3) stop attending gay-ass feminist classes where she and her fellow mid-life crisis victims are forced to examine their vaginas in front of each other. I wish I was kidding about that last part, but it is my sad duty to report that is actually part of the film. They don't actually show it (thank you, Jesus) but they do talk about it and we see the heifers lower them panties to the ground in preparation. It's enough to make a straight man go gay - or at least so says Chris Evans' Twin.
Meanwhile, just as Evelyn's storyline starts to heat up, so does Ruth and Idgie's. Ruth's abusive asshole husband goes missing, and Idgie is accused of killing him and hiding the body - since she once told the bastard that she would kill him if he ever beat up Ruth again. Well, if the shoe fits... What happens when Idgie is put on trial? Is she taking the blame to save someone else who really did the killing? Was it Ruth? Or their loyal handyman, Big George (Stan Shaw)? Or is it George's mother Sipsy (Cicely Tyson)? Or is it... someone else? How will Idgie's story from the past affect Evelyn's in the present? Will one woman draw strength from the other? If so, how? And the most important questions of all: what is the best cornmeal to use for fried green tomatoes? Should you dip the tomatoes in the egg wash first? Or should you do it after you dip them in the cornmeal? And what the fuck is up with this new trend of using Panko breadcrumbs? Is this a new Yuppie way of doing a classic Southern recipe? Would Idgie and Ruth approve?
Whatever. Just get me some. Right now.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: In our previous reviews, we've talked about "Warm Blanket Movies." Basically, these films celebrate friendship, family, and ties that bind us all together. Films like MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, STEEL MAGNOLIAS, SUNSHINE CLEANING, AWAY WE GO, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, LOST IN TRANSLATION, THE DESCENDANTS, SLIDING DOORS, and many others are prime examples of this genre. They do not emphasize action, suspense, spectacle, or plot twists but, rather, relationships and connections. The people, in essence, are more important than the plot.
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES is one of the most entertaining of the "Warm Blanket Movies", not only because of the deft way it expounds on the themes mentioned above, but also by making us laugh and, yes, tear up in the process. The film also has a graceful structure, with Evelyn and Ninny's growing friendship in the present echoing the tight-knit bond between Ruth and Idgie in the past. It's arguable which thread is stronger, since both are very solid and so well-written and well-acted. But, ultimately, it's because both stories are so strong that the movie retains a nice balance.
Contrast FRIED GREEN TOMATOES with the similarly-structured POSSESSION from 2002 starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart: in that film, the plot thread involving Paltrow and Eckhart's modern-day sleuths paled in comparison to the moving, romantic thread in the past with Jennifer Ehle and Jeremy Northam's Victorian poets - resulting in an imbalance that hampered the film. Whenever we would switch back to modern-day London with Paltrow and Eckhart, the film dragged because they were not as interesting as Ehle and Northam, their counterparts from the past. With FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, this does not happen, because the characters and situations in the present are just as interesting as the ones from the past.
What is also great about FRIED GREEN TOMATOES is not just the main plot threads, but also the little gems and nuggets that director Jon Avnet and his writers insert here and there. There's the popular scene of Evelyn finally standing up for herself and ramming the car of two airheads who stole her parking spot at supermarket. Then there's the lovely scene where Ruth accompanies Idgie on a late-night train raid to give canned goods to homeless and starving families. There's also the touching scene where Evelyn very thoughtfully surprises Ninny on her birthday with some friend green tomatoes - Ninny's favorite food. My favorite "gem", however, is when Idgie approaches Smokey Lonesome, a vagrant dining at the Whistle Stop Cafe. Smokey, used to being treated like dirt, thinks she is about to ask him to leave. Instead, Idgie takes him for a walk and comforts him, telling him a lovely story that teaches him he's just as good as everyone else around him. This perfectly illustrates the essence of Idgie (kind and fearless), but also the essence of the film itself, which states that our strength ultimately lies in what we do for others.
Mary Stuart Masterson is simply wonderful as Idgie, turning her into one of my most favorite movie characters. Masterson is a bravura blend of humor, fire, and hidden fragility - she is amazing and delivers a career-defining performance and a classic character. Idgie grew up in the Deep South (a very traditional place) in a time when women were expected to stay in the kitchen, and be seen and not heard - and where lesbianism was definitely not smiled on. In the novel the movie is based on, "Fried Green Tomatoes At The WhistleStop Cafe" by Fannie Flagg, Ruth and Idgie had a more obvious romantic connection.
However, director Avnet chose to downplay the lesbian connection between Ruth and Idgie, despite the wishes of his leads, and left their characters' connection more ambiguous. There is still a very strong emotional bond in the film between Ruth and Idgie, though, and somehow the cinematic version is all the more heartbreaking because of the "Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name" aspect that pervades it. Especially towards the end when all of Idgie's unspoken love for Ruth bubbles up in one heartfelt line during a crucial scene: "There are so many things I want to say to you...." Ultimately, Mary Louise Parker proves to be a great foil for Masterson, making Ruth the gentle Yin to Idgie's fiery Yang. These two are a great, memorable screen couple.
For the present day storyline, Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy hold their own. Bates' crowd-pleasing and audience-endearing performance is one of her best. Evelyn is a character that most of us can relate to: someone who swallows a lot of outrage and abuse under a gracious exterior - until enough is enough. The aforementioned scene where she demolishes the car in the supermarket parking lot is one of the most popular scenes in filmdom because it marks the shift in Evelyn, from put-upon victim to assertive person. Who hasn't dreamt of finally standing up for themselves in such a way? Bates sells not only the scene, but the character altogether. Jessica Tandy matches Bates' warmth, scene for scene, and proves to be an appropriately whimsical partner to the similarly quirky Evelyn. Tandy even manages to make Ninny a bit mysterious and elusive - which pays off beautifully in the film's final scene and its haunting twist. Bottom line: just as Masterson and Parker meshed well as Ruth and Idgie, so too do Tandy and Bates click as Evelyn and Ninny.
No ensemble film set in the Deep South would be complete without a colorful gallery of supporting characters. They are essayed by a wonderful group of actors: Stan Shaw, Chris O'Donnell, Cicely Tyson, Ray Basaraba, Tim Scott, and Grayson Fricke. O'Donnell is particularly heartbreaking (and handsome) in his small but very important scene as Idgie's beloved older brother, Buddy. Ultimately, FRIED GREEN TOMATOES is like a warm quilt made up of many beautiful and engaging pieces, and the supporting players are just as important as the four leads.
In closing, please soak in one of the songs from the FRIED GREEN TOMATOES soundtrack: Paul Young's version of "What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted?"
TRIVIA: "What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted?" was originally supposed to be the theme song for THE BODYGUARD, intended to be sung by the late, lovely Whitney Houston. However, when the producers and music supervisors of THE BODYGUARD learned that "What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted?" was being used for FRIED GREEN TOMATOES (which was also in production at the same time), they didn't want to have any duplication. So BODYGUARD star/producer Kevin Costner chose instead to remake Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" for co-star Houston. Other folks behind the decision also felt from the beginning that, thematically, "What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted?" was not appropriate for THE BODYGUARD, because it is a lighter, more upbeat song that conveyed a different kind of loss. They felt that "I Will Always Love You" was more fitting for THE BODYGUARD, because it is a somber ballad about sacrifice, and walking away from someone you deeply love because you love them enough to do what's best for them - even if it means sacrificing your own feelings. This is a key theme of THE BODYGUARD - and the lyrics for "I Will Always Love You" are essentially a bittersweet, noble farewell from one lover to another. In the end, this decision proved very successful for Costner and Houston's film, because Whitney Houston's haunting version of "I Will Always Love You" is now one of the best-loved songs in film history - and THE BODYGUARD went on to become a worldwide hit.
However, for FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, the more upbeat "What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted?" is absolutely perfect...
From FRIED GREEN TOMATOES: Paul Young's "What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted?":
And, a bonus: from THE BODYGUARD, the late, lovely Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You...":
