Streep, Roberts look set for August: Osage County film

Streep will be wonderful as always (although I agree that it is predictable and she's a little too young for my taste), but I've never bought Roberts as a serious actress.

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Julia Roberts is surprising. The above poster is exactly right -- Meryl Streep is both expected and miscast. But if she plays it older, I'm sure she'll get another Oscar for this.

Here was my initial "dream movie cast" after revisiting the play.

Ed Asner = Beverly Weston (the Dennis Letts role)
Phillip Seymour Hoffman = Charlie Aiken (the Francis Guinan role)
Kathy Bates = Mattie Fae Aiken (the Rondi Reed role)
Ellen Page = Jean Fordham (the Madeleine Martin role)
Kevin Kline = Bill Fordham (the Jeff Perry role)
Jodie Foster = Barbara Fordham (the Amy Morton role)
Helen Mirren = Violet Weston (the Deanna Dunagan role)
Amy Adams = Karen Weston (the Mariann Mayberry role)
Diane Lane = Ivy Weston (the Sally Murphy role)
John C. Reilly = Steve Heidebrecht (the Brian Kerwin role)
Ryan Gosling = Little Charles (the Ian Barford role)

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Meryl may be predictable, but she's certainly not miscast. There is not a doubt in my mind that she'll knock it out of the park. I had my heart set on Helen Mirren or Shirley MacLaine, but Meryl is Meryl. I would never be upset with her being cast in anything. As for Julia, I've never been crazy about her as an actress. But she also never gets roles as meaty as Barbara, so I'm interested to see what she'll do with it if this is in fact true.

All I ask is that they cast Kathy Bates as Mattie Fae. That's all I need.

I love you adamgreer, but I don't think I've ever disagreed with a statement more than that.

Well I was still hoping against hope it would go to Ellen Burstyn.

It's a common enough criticism that there was a Seinfeld episode about Meryl Streep being a "phony."

Streep has turned in some fabulous performances (her work in Sophie's Choice is about as close to perfection as I've ever seen), but her more recent work hasn't done it for me (save for a nice comic turn in The Devil Wears Prada). I've very little doubt her Violet Weston will be just like her Sister Aloysius or her Eleanor Shaw.

UGH. I mean.... Julia Roberts? She is certainly not who I think about when I think about acting chops. Charming, sure - but not a real thespian in my book. How I wish they would have cast Amy Morton!

Count me in for the 'good but extremely predictable' about Streep. Love her, but....It will be 'Meryl Streep playing Violet Weston' no matter what she does, instead of just Violet Weston.

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Actually a Burstyn/Streep pairing would have been great. Meryl can be aged down quite nicely-look at Mamma Mia.

Julia Roberts is MEH!!! Her acting choices have gotten so pedestrian it makes me ill. At least she still has box office mojo. Would it have killed them to go for Marcia Gay Harden or Toni Collette-someone with some acting chops.

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...you see the "gears working" when you watch Meryl Streep do you? Please. That complaint about her is SO 1982. You are obviously entitled to your opinion, but believe me, that opinion makes an ass out of you. Anyone who knows what acting is, who cherishes it as an art form, knows there is no one better than Meryl Streep.

The thing is though, she might just be.

Really Roberts ???? I have no idea what that is about Cate Blanchet would have been great in the role I also think a new actor to the role of Voilet would be what about pearsons from the stage production . What I do not get these are hard shows and they won the big american writers dream you would think Tracy would hire more art studios to do his work.

I'm a disappointed little boy with this news.

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