Purely Joyful Movie!

Good concept, poorly executed.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Anyone else think that Idgie and Ninny were the same person? I didn't catch any other reviews who broached the topic, but the FAQ page for this movie addresses the topic from opposite perspectives. I'll tell you what I think at the end.This movie is over a quarter century old and I just got around to it. That happens sometimes and after seeing one like that, I have to wonder why it took so long. I enjoyed this one for it's story telling style and gentle humor. Going in, if the only thing you've seen is the DVD sleeve, you would think the story is about four women of varying ages who become friends during a particular time and place. Instead, it spans the generations with the principal characters and story taking place in the 1920's, while the flashbacks to that era occur roughly during the time the picture was made. It's not an unusual filming technique but here it worked especially well.This is an unusual love story but not in the traditional sense. Ruth Jamison (Mary-Louise Parker) and Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson) become fast friends after a bit of a rough start, and their relationship grows stronger over the period of time that transitions from teenage years to young adulthood. The bond is cemented when Idgie and her friend George (Stan Shaw) save Ruth from a disastrous marriage. The plot thickens at this point, and it takes an additional five years to come to terms with the disappearance of Ruth's husband shortly after the incident at Frank Bennett's (Nick Searcy) farm. The only disconnect I have with the story is the way Idgie and George were arrested for the murder of Frank Bennett. There was absolutely no grounds for the arrest to my thinking. Idgie did make a statement that she would 'kill Frank' if he ever came by to harm Ruth again, but that was stated in the heat of the moment. Sheriff Curtis Smoote (Raynor Scheine) using that as a pretext for arresting Idgie didn't make any sense to me at all. Not only that, but the truck recovered from the swamp had no body in it. That should have been enough to preclude any kind of murder trial. Be that as it may, I got a kick out of the judge dismissing the case because as he rightly proclaimed, it wasn't a case at all. The Reverend Scroggins (Richard Riehle) swearing on a copy of 'Moby Dick' was a neat bonus.But there was another facet of the cross examination that bothered me as well. When Ruth was pressed by the prosecuting attorney as to the reason why she left her husband, she replied that it was because Idgie was the person she loved the most in the whole world. Why couldn't she have said that it was because her husband beat her? Leaving that out of the script seemed like an unforced error that would have exonerated Ruth favorably. The story didn't need it as it turned out, but still, that bothered me. Taken all together though, this was a fine story of friendship and loyalty with enough of those little home spun tales thrown in to make it endearing. Like Buddy's (Chris O'Donnell) 'oyster/pearl' analogy and the one about the geese moving the lake out of state. I'm going to remember those for the grand-kids. I think they'll get a kick out of 'em.Oh, and by the way, even though the book that this film was based on had Idgie and Ninny (Jessica Tandy) as separate people, I think there was enough ambiguity at the finish to make them one and the same in this movie. I think Evelyn (Kathy Bates) would agree.

Fried Green Tomatoes has no shame in being sappy and sentimental. But if you don't get hung up on that, it's really a sweet movie about reminiscing on the good and bad of life, where underneath everything the real story is about the people you love. Of course it helps that the movie is well-made and well-acted.

So few movies have the ability to work the human magic that this film does. From the beginning you cringe, celebrate, heal, mourn, and realistically become a part of the lives of these people (I won't say characters, but people as they become people and no longer actors / characters). Hating and loving the people, there is no way to watch Fried Green Tomatoes and not have it impact you. That is unless your heart is scarred and become calloused to the point where you don't let anything in anymore.The ins and outs, ups and downs... and oh yes.. the BBQ! It shape shifts you and draws you in. And for a moment of your life you are no longer you, but one of them. Just watch it. And if you would like to escape for 2 hours this is how you do it.So Hollywood! Why won't you, can't you, make movies like this anymore? Its budget was 11 million and it grossed 13 times that much. I am sure it's not the money that stops you. I am not sure you have the talent to make a movie with the magic and the power of FGT.

Fried green tomatoes serves up a serving of feel good entertainment, heartfelt moments, female empowerment, and important messages. This film tells the powerful story of Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy in 1991. Kathy's character meets Tandy's character in a rest home while Kathy's husband is visiting his sick aunt. They quickly form a very special friendship and Jessica begins to tell Kathy stories about two women from years ago. Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary Louise Parker come in then, idgie and Ruth. Kathy starts to get inspired by the stories of idgie and Ruth and she starts to change her life for the better, getting into shape, improving her dull marriage with her husband, and becoming less scared to be herself and speak her mind. The stories told about idgie and Ruth involve going through tragedy, becoming lifelong friends and being there for each other. The performances in this sweet southern film are outstanding! Tandy and Bates are riveting and a joy to watch. Masterson and Parker have incredible on screen friend chemistry and their acting is nothing short of amazing, it's raw and real, you believe every thing they do and say. Cicely Tyson is good here too, a very brave and fearless character. The movie offers up great performances from the entire cast, very well written dialogue, heartwarming stories and a great score. The ending makes me cry happy tears every freaking time! 10/10.