Movie · 1989 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 1h 58m · PG · English
Curator score: 5.9/10 (161.1K ratings)
Six extraordinary friends. They share each other's laughter. They dry each other's tears.
Overview
A young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friendship and welcome her into the fold.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.9/10
IMDb: 7.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.82/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
Metacritic: 56
TMDB: 7.2/10
Director
Herbert Ross
Production
Rastar Productions, TriStar Pictures
Cast
Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, Julia Roberts, Tom Skerritt, Sam Shepard, Dylan McDermott, Kevin J. O'Connor, Bill McCutcheon, Ann Wedgeworth, Knowl Johnson, Jonathan Ward, Bibi Besch, Janine Turner, James Wlcek, Ronald Young, Nancy Parsons, Robert Ginnaven
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A warm, funny ensemble drama that gradually turns into a devastating portrait of friendship, caregiving, and grief. Its appeal is in the chemistry of the women, the Southern-flavored humor, and the way it lets emotional pain arrive without losing its wit.
Best for
viewers who like character-driven ensemble dramas
fans of bittersweet tearjerkers
audiences drawn to female friendship stories
people who enjoy Southern small-town settings and dialogue
viewers who appreciate comedy easing into heartbreak
Skip if
you want a plot-heavy movie with constant momentum
you dislike melodrama or overt sentiment
you prefer understated realism over emotional catharsis
you are looking for a romance-first story
Overview
Steel Magnolias is built on the pleasure of watching a tight-knit group of women talk, tease, and take care of one another. The salon setting gives the film a social rhythm that feels lived-in, and the cast makes every joke, jab, and confession land with warmth and bite. It’s a movie about community as much as it is about individual personalities, and that ensemble chemistry is the main reason it still works so well.
Worth noting
What surprises many first-time viewers is how sharply the film pivots from breezy charm into raw grief. It doesn’t hide its emotional agenda, but it earns the tears by letting the women feel specific and funny before the losses arrive. The final stretch is famously devastating, yet the movie never abandons its sense of humor; instead, it treats laughter as part of survival.
Bottom line
If you respond to stories about friendship as a form of care, this is an easy recommendation. It’s sentimental, yes, but also sturdy, observant, and often much sharper than its reputation suggests. The result is a classic crowd-pleaser that can make you laugh, then wreck you, sometimes in the same scene.
Top Letterboxd reviews
nathan (3.5★) · 4146 likes
SO sad that Julia Roberts died with that nasty haircut
Madison 🎭 (4★) · 3715 likes
ouiser is a mean butch wlw icon
rach (4★) · 2972 likes
started watching this and thought oh this is a nice happy heartwarming film and then the last half an hour was like bitch you thought
Tess (5★) · 2406 likes
Ya know how Sally Field just DOES that. She just cracks open and grief literally pours forth and you can't breathe for crying but you just keep fucking watching this movie year after year after year.
1990 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 1h 50m · PG-13 · Curator 2.5/10 (40.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Combines family friction, female-centered humor, and a tender undercurrent of emotional instability.
1994 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 1h 46m · R · Curator 4.7/10 (45.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Paramount Plus Essential, Netflix Standard with Ads
A funny-sad character study that balances embarrassment, longing, and emotional release.