Steel Magnolias

Plots: 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. Pivoting around the lively Truvy Jones’ Louisiana beauty parlour, a tightly-knit band of friends, confront griefs, loss, life’s unforeseen tragedies and heartaches with what they do best: gossiping and sharing. The spirited diabetic and bride-to-be, Shelby; her always supportive mother, M’Lynn; Truvy’s gawky assistant, Annelle; the city’s curmudgeon, Ouiser; and the town’s former first lady, Clairee, are the warm Southern belles who know how to survive life’s challenges with their unwavering friendship. But when Shelby decides to conceive, things will turn upside down.. Revolving around Truvy’s Beauty Parlor in a small parish in modern-day Louisiana, this is the story of a close-knit circle of friends whose lives come together there. As the movie opens, we find Drum Eatenton shooting birds in the trees of his back yard in preparation for his daughter’s wedding reception that afternoon. Shortly thereafter, M’Lynn and Shelby (Drum’s wife and daughter) depart for Truvy’s to get their hair done for the wedding. “Just the sweetest thing”, Annelle Depuy Desoto (who may or may not be married because her marriage may not be legal) is introduced to Truvy’s customers as her new “glamor technician”. While in the chairs, the sour-tempered Ouiser Boudreaux shows up and entertains the assemblage with her barbs. It seems that the only one of the group who truly understands Ouiser is Clairee, who is recently widowed and looking for a diversion. As she says later in the movie, “If you can’t find anything good to say about anybody, come sit by me.” Filled with humor and heartbreak, these “Steel Magnolias” make us laugh and cry as the realities of their lives in tiny Chiquapin Parish unfolds.