--- title: "Steel Magnolias" year: 1989 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/steel-magnolias" fi1m_id: "steel-magnolias" imdb_id: "tt0098384" tmdb_id: 10860 wikidata_id: "Q762140" fi1m_score: 67 critics_score: 54 critics_reviews: 9 published: "2026-10-04T21:10:42.201716+00:00" updated: "2026-10-04T21:10:42.788387+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Steel Magnolias (1989) Directed by Herbert Ross · 1h 57m · MPA PG · Drama, Comedy ## Identity Steel Magnolias - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/steel-magnolias - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** steel-magnolias - **IMDb ID:** tt0098384 - **TMDB ID:** 10860 - **Wikidata ID:** Q762140 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098384/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/10860, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q762140 **Fi1m score: 67** · Critics 54 from 9 reviews *In a sentence:* We would happily spend longer with these women if the film stopped checking whether we were crying > The company is better than the drama in *Steel Magnolias*. Its six leading actresses give the humour bite, but the sentimentality and awkward changes of mood make this a qualified pleasure. ## Synopsis M’Lynn Eatenton (Sally Field), Truvy Jones (Dolly Parton) and Ouiser Boudreaux (Shirley MacLaine) belong to a circle of six friends. Annelle Dupuy (Daryl Hannah), Clairee Belcher (Olympia Dukakis) and Shelby Eatenton Latcherie (Julia Roberts) complete the group. The women share one another’s happiness and offer comfort through sadness, with friendship at the centre of their lives. The cast also includes Tom Skerritt as Drum Eatenton, Sam Shepard as Spud Jones and Dylan McDermott as Jackson Latcherie. Comedy and drama sit alongside each other as the six women give and receive support. ## Review Herbert Ross’s *Steel Magnolias* is a decent ensemble comedy-drama whose actresses make a stronger case for an evening’s attention than its determined sentimentality does. Robert Harling’s screenplay gives its six friends humour and warmth, then presses rather hard for tears. At 117 minutes, it offers plenty of time to enjoy the company and notice the unevenness. The cast keeps it watchable through changes of mood that do not always feel earned. We laughed at Clairee Belcher and Ouiser Boudreaux’s exchanges, because Olympia Dukakis and Shirley MacLaine make their affection sound impatient. Olympia Dukakis is particularly good at letting a remark seem casual rather than prepared for applause. Shirley MacLaine works harder for her laughs, occasionally too hard, though the sharpness gives the friendship a welcome rough edge. Their scenes allow these women to be difficult company without asking us to stop liking them. Sally Field, as M’Lynn Eatenton, supplies an emotional steadiness that the film itself sometimes lacks. Her restraint is useful here: when the material grows emphatic, she does not always join in. Dolly Parton brings a gentler ease to Truvy Jones, and her sweetness seldom feels like an instruction to find the character lovable. Together, they help make the friendship credible even when the writing seems too determined to make it touching. Julia Roberts is less persuasive as Shelby Eatenton Latcherie, although the writing gives her little help. The emotion can feel prescribed, leaving too little room for a response that is awkward or surprising. Daryl Hannah’s Annelle Dupuy belongs to an ensemble whose collective warmth is more convincing than every individual performance. That rapport keeps the drama going, but it cannot make every appeal for sympathy effective. John A. Alonzo’s cinematography is agreeable, though it leaves us with little sense of the images doing much beyond accommodating the performances. The production design by Edward Pisoni and Gene Callahan makes a similarly modest impression. An ensemble drama need not draw attention to its surroundings, and visual restraint can be welcome. Here we wanted the setting to contribute more to our understanding of the women, rather than simply leave the actresses to supply it. The awkwardness becomes harder to overlook in the pacing, where Paul Hirsch’s editing does not quite persuade us that laughter and distress belong so close together. Georges Delerue’s music is too sweet for material that already needs little encouragement in that direction. Within the ensemble comedy-drama, the test is whether we recognise the same people in the funny passages and the painful ones. Too often, the film’s wish to move us becomes more noticeable than the characters. There is still something appealing about a friendship that permits irritation, and the sharper performances prevent the women from becoming merely admirable. They are the reason to consider a film whose handling of emotion can otherwise feel rather bossy. Choose it for the cast, provided a few firmly indicated opportunities to reach for a tissue will not spoil the evening. *Fi1m score 67, published 4 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Steel Magnolias worth watching?** *Steel Magnolias* is worth considering for its sharp, warm ensemble performances, though its insistent sentimentality keeps our score at 67. We recommend it chiefly for the company of its six women, especially the impatient affection between Olympia Dukakis and Shirley MacLaine; the awkward shifts from laughter to distress make it less satisfying as a drama. **How long is Steel Magnolias, and what is it rated?** *Steel Magnolias* runs 1h 57m and is rated PG by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and comedy film. **Where can I watch Steel Magnolias in the US?** *Steel Magnolias* is streaming on Netflix, The Roku Channel and Tubi in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. It leaves The Roku Channel on 15 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does Steel Magnolias compare to Volver?** *Steel Magnolias* offers appealing female friendship, but we recommend [*Volver*](https://film.one/film/volver) more warmly for the practical, impatient edge it brings to humour and grief. Both find comedy amid difficult circumstances; we favour *Steel Magnolias* for viewers chiefly seeking ensemble banter, while *Volver* is the stronger choice for family melodrama, despite making forgiveness a little too comfortable. **What should I watch after Steel Magnolias?** After *Steel Magnolias*, try [*Volver*](https://film.one/film/volver) (2006, Fi1m 84): Female solidarity, difficult family history and humour that survives some grave circumstances. Then [*Secrets & Lies*](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies) (1996, Fi1m 88): Family pain and untidy affection, with performances that resist easy reassurance. ### Reviews we read (9) - **Radio Times**, David Parkinson (4/5): Parkinson praises the film as an engaging showcase for its leading actresses. He singles out Shirley MacLaine as stealing the show with a wonderful performance. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-7oxiip/steel-magnolias/) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (75/100, inferred): The review is warmly positive about the film and its ensemble cast. It singles out Olympia Dukakis for nearly stealing the picture and praises Sally Field’s understated performance. [Read](https://variety.com/1988/film/reviews/steel-magnolias-2-1200427825/) - **RogerEbert.com** (65/100, inferred): The page is blocked by a browser check, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint can be verified from the available page text. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/steel-magnolias-1989) - **The New York Times** (65/100, inferred): The accessible page does not expose the review’s verdict. It provides no praise or complaint to summarize. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/15/movies/review-film-magnolias-of-the-stage-writ-large-for-screen.html) - **Time Out**, SFe (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review, but the review text is unavailable. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint therefore cannot be established. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/steel-magnolias) - **Slant Magazine**, Eric Henderson (3/5): Henderson finds the film’s emotional shifts awkward but says the actresses’ camaraderie keeps it afloat. He especially praises Shirley MacLaine’s witty, well-rounded performance as Ouiser. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/steel-magnolias/) - **Empire**, Angie Errigo (35/100, inferred): Errigo finds the film less persuasive than its stage source, though it retains humour and pathos. She singles out Sally Field’s performance as sensational, while criticizing Julia Roberts’s portrayal and the film’s weakened emotional force. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/steel-magnolias-review/) - **IndieWire**, Matt Brennan (25/100, inferred): Brennan finds the 1989 film melodramatic and politically dated, though its cast achieves some chemistry. He singles out Clairee and Ouiser’s sharp exchanges as a bright spot amid the film’s syrupy portrait of women. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/now-and-then-in-two-steel-magnolias-the-times-are-not-a-changin-197940/) - **Los Angeles Times**, PETER RAINER (20/100, inferred): Rainer finds the film’s exaggerated performances and sentimentality overwhelm its intended emotional impact. He praises Dolly Parton’s sweet, lilting presence, while criticizing Shirley MacLaine’s scenery-gobbling performance. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-15-ca-1801-story.html) ## Details - **Director:** Herbert Ross - **Director:** Herbert Ross - **Screenplay:** Robert Harling - **Cinematography:** John A. Alonzo - **Editor:** Paul Hirsch - **Music:** Georges Delerue - **Production design:** Edward Pisoni, Gene Callahan - **Costume design:** Julie Weiss - **Producer:** Ray Stark - **Cast:** Sally Field as M'Lynn Eatenton; Dolly Parton as Truvy Jones; Shirley MacLaine as Ouiser Boudreaux; Daryl Hannah as Annelle Dupuy; Olympia Dukakis as Clairee Belcher; Julia Roberts as Shelby Eatenton Latcherie; Tom Skerritt as Drum Eatenton; Sam Shepard as Spud Jones - **Runtime:** 1h 57m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG - **Release (the US):** 22 November 1989 - **Genres:** Drama, Comedy - **Budget:** $15 million - **Box office:** $96 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8nojAKKijA ## Where to watch in the US - Netflix: streaming - The Roku Channel: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-15 - Tubi: free - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd *Checked 2026-10-04.* Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HR, IE, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1990: Best Supporting Actress (nominated) ## If you liked this - *The Women* (1939): More female ensemble comedy, with less patience for anyone’s good intentions. - *Bagdad Cafe* (1987): An unlikely friendship develops at a gentler pace, with welcome eccentricity. - *Our Little Sister* (2015): Four sisters make room for one another in a quieter domestic drama. - *Volver* (2006), Fi1m 84: Female solidarity, difficult family history and humour that survives some grave circumstances. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/volver.md) - *Secrets & Lies* (1996), Fi1m 88: Family pain and untidy affection, with performances that resist easy reassurance. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/steel-magnolias