MovieChat Forums > Steel Magnolias (1989) Discussion > The accents were just awful

The accents were just awful

posted 14 years ago by artistathome
15 replies | jump to latest

I am from La and no one I have EVER known in my family or friends talks like Clairee did in this movie.

Dolly Parton was authentic of course being Southern. The rest of them especially Julia Roberts sounded just awful. It sounds more like a Georgia accent to me.

Don't these people have voice coaches? Ugggh. It drives me to distraction each time I see this movie.

Clairee by far is the most put-on. I thought Shirley Maclaine's accent was fine and Drum's too.

[–] fiatlux-1 14 years ago

I was shocked at how bad Julia Roberts' accent was....since she's FROM Georgia!
Surely she had an accent once, or at least was well versed on what they sound like!
Sally Field, a very good actress normally, has a pitifully bad accent as well...and it disappeared and reappeared throughout the film just as Julia's did.
That annoys me to no end: either you have an accent or you don't! How could the director or anyone involved not catch that?

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] Kroyall1962 14 years ago

I was shocked as to how bad Julia Roberts looked in those high waisted pants! That unibrow was a b*tch too.

[–] communionsong 13 years ago

The accents weren't as bad as the accents the ladies on "Dallas" used. I'm from Dallas Texas and those are not Dallas accents. HOWEVER....they are cute to listen to.

[–] liamforeman 13 years ago

Not just that, but they were ALL different. It was strange how these six women could live there their entire lives and all speak with a different accent.

Julia Roberts' accent was the worst. She tried way to hard and it came off as phony and distracting.

Jezebel! Flauntin' your flesh in temptation's raiment! You will burn. Oh you will burn!

[–] sonofbeach-sheet 11 years ago

I lived in Lousy-ana for 7 years and most people in the northern part of the state, where this movie is set, just have standard southern accents. Not that cracker cornpone accent like what was in this.

Julia Roberts didn't do that great of a job and she is a southerner by birth. Well, sort of. She was born near Atlanta in a suburb. Olympia Dukakis was nowhere near being one and was totally acting. Sally Field, Daryl Hannah, Dolly Parton, and Shirley did a decent job, but Dolly was of course the most authentic.

[–] sacrificialclam 10 years ago

Dolly's is real seeing as how she's from Tennessee.

*********************************
www.cashcrate.com/225863 Sign up to get paid

[–] RvaBread22 10 years ago

Shirley M. is from Virginia, and she sounds very naturally Southern as well.

[–] RvaBread22 10 years ago

i felt Shirley McClaine sounded most authentic, since she is from Virginia . Dolly has an Appalachian accent- from East TN so her character would be out of place in LA.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] cultfilmfreaksdotcom 10 years ago

Saw half of it tonight, Cinemark, and thought the accents did sound fake, and they are all good actresses, a few great ones, but it felt staged.

Movie Reviews www.cultfilmfreaks.com or www.facebook.com/cultfilmfreakcinema

[–] northernlad 10 years ago

I thought Sally Field's accent was the worst. Those scenes at the beauty parlor really highlight how bad her accent is.

I'm worried that my guardian angel is a crack head...

[–] Shadowkisss 9 years ago

I just saw the movie on TV and came here to check if anyone else had something to say about the accents. I know some people from Louisiana and they don't sound like any of the actresses in this movie, not even Dolly Parton.

[–] RvaBread22 9 years ago

Maybe because Dolly is from East TN? Obviously people from Louisiana do not sound like E. Tennesseans. No two southern accents are really the same.

"Life is like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts".

[–] shadaif 9 years ago

Louisiana accents are very unique in that each small town has it's own distinct accent. Accents are more muted and subtle in the bigger college cities like Baton Rouge. Agreed that the accents weren't good and it used to bother me to hear actors using fake accents in movies. I made this same post complaining about Rene Zellwegger's English accent in Bridget Jones and asked if it bothered British people. They responded that it doesn't bother them to hear an American speak with a British accent in movies. After that I try not to let bad accents ruin good films.

"The end of the shoelace is called the...IT DOESN'T MATTER!"

[–] RvaBread22 9 years ago

Shirley McClain and Dolly Parton sounded passable and authentic , even if they didn't have the local flavor. The worst offenders were Sally Fields and Julia Roberts.

"Life is like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts".