Entertainment : In Depth: 'August: Osage County' next on Palace screen

Oscar Month continues with “August: Osage County,” playing the Palace Friday, March 14 through Thursday, March 20 at 7 pm, and Monday, March 17 at 2 pm.

Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts star as a mother and daughter who when forced by circumstances struggle to be in the same house together, much less exchange a civil word. In fact, this film is fraught with mostly uncivilized words. The Weston family is sure to make yours feel like Beaver and the Cleavers.

Oscar month is usually coupled with the letter R, and indeed, “August: Osage County” is restricted to patrons over 17, unless with a parent, due to language, sexual content, and drug usage.

While neither picked up an Academy Award for their performances in this movie, the portrayals by both Meryl and Julia were nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, and have been duly praised.

Led by the magnificent Streep, the film takes a grounded play that ran for three and a half hours and compresses it into a two-hour showcase of talent. ~MediaMikes

The sheer amount of acting going on in August: Osage County threatens to overwhelm, but when the actors involved are as talented as Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, it's difficult to complain. ~Rotten Tomatoes

Based on the play by Tracy Letts, who also wrote the screen play, this film is dark, hilarious, touching, and deeply dysfunctional.

BTW - Tracy is the son of Billie Letts, who wrote “Shoot the Moon,” one of my very favorite books due to a chapter that poetically captures the essence of small town gossip. It must have been quite something to grow up in that family!