Fried Green Tomatoes [DVD] [1991] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Had been toying with buying this ITV produced Bluray for a number of years, but had read a couple of online reviews to say the image quality was not the best. As no alternatives had appeared on the market in subsequent years I decided to go for it. (Guaranteed that a new rescanned and remastered edition will now appear). But anyway i’m glad i took the chance, i found the picture quality for the most part more than up to standard particularly the scenes from the 20s/30s which make up most of the films running time, only one short street scene looked a bit ropey. The modern day scenes may be colour timed a little coldly but could be an aspect of the original production, rather than a fault of the bluray. Watched this on a projector so image issues are always magnified hence my apprehension of the online reviews, suffice to say recommended, its cheap to buy, a great film, and a nice surprise to see it opening with the Rank Films Gong intro, must have been one of their last film investments.

I'm a simple person and I like simple things. Fried Green Tomatoes (set in Alabama in the 1920s, 1930s and 1980s) is right up my simple street despite others seeing complications where I seem to see mere simplicity. To my simple mind, the film is just as good as the book (by Fannie Flagg) if not better (though I advise reading the book as well). The plot itself is complicated and one needs to watch the film several times in order to 'get' it. But that's a major advantage for every time one watches the film one sees more and more - the sadness, the joy, the period charm, great characters and great character acting, hilarious moments that morph into marvellously moving scenes as well as surprises upon surprises. I first watched this film several years ago and am regretful that I haven't written a review of it before today. Well, having watched it again today, here's some catching up and I simply want to award it ten stars but Amazon won't let me. Therefore, this ten-star film gets Amazon's simple best - a mere five stars. I cannot recommend it highly enough: it's very close to being the greatest film of all time. Get it now and watch it time after time: you'll be like me and never tire of simple perfection.

Nice feel good film. Worth a watch

Lovely story and Cathy Bate’s character is brilliant

Wonderfully casted, ideal viewing whether it’s Saturday night with a takeaway or a rainy Sunday afternoon in bed. Both Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy live up to their exceptional reputations (in my opinion the best roles they’ve ever played) but the whole cast came together to form an emotionally moving work of art, no less.Emotive, funny, relatable, this is one of my all time favourite films. A bit like listening to your favourite album, you know exactly how it will make you feel and you’ll find yourself replaying it more times than most other favourites, it’s just such easy viewing. Granted, it could be described as a bit of a ‘chick flick’ but I know men who also love this film, at least the ones comfortable enough with their masculinity to admit it.. There really isn’t anything to dislike about it. A taste of the Deep South from times gone by, brought straight into your living room. A true Southern classic.

Despite the fact that this story is often jerky, clichéd and all too predictable, it does have a charming tenderness that, understandably, appeals to many viewers. I was intrigued by Evelyn, the character perfectly played by Kathy Bates, and married to a selfish, football crazy husband. Her friendship with the elderly lady, Mrs Threadgoode, is the catalyst that inspires her to break free from her humdrum life and realise her true self, enabling her to gain the ascendency in the home. This character is the perfect antidote to selfish, childish, spoilt, football crazy husbands.My biggest disappointment is that I never got to see the fried green tomatoes. I was expecting to see several customers eating them, but it wasn't to be. There's an overplayed, contrived morbidity embedded in the characters of the girls Idgie and Ruth, played by Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary Louise Parker, which is rather tiresome. Nevertheless, this is a production projected to appeal to a wide audience and, in that, it succeeds admirably. However, it's always a good idea to be aware of the weaknesses in these kind of productions, if only to emphasise how we can all thoroughly enjoy productions such as this 'warts and all.'Best of all, it's always encouraging to watch a story presented from the woman's point of view and one thing this film does perfectly is to illustrate and expose the seriousness of what so many women have to endure from selfish, spoiled, macho-football male fanatics. Kathy Bates deserves five stars, but I'm deducting just the one star because of the clichés.

I saw FGT on video when it was first released & I must admit I really didn't want to watch what I perceived as a 'woman's film'. I am so grateful that I didn't pass up on seeing it. I was captivated by it from the start and have enjoyed it several times over the years. Having recently bought a blu ray player I bought this version and watched the film for the first time in over 10 years. It has lost none of it's ability to charm as it makes you laugh & cry in equal measure. You don't have to be a woman to love this picture, you just have to be human. It's themes are universal - touching on friendships, family, ageing, loss, life and death. I particularly like the touching ending with it's ambiguity about Mrs. Threadgoode. An uplifting film for all to enjoy. As for the quality of the blu ray print, it is mostly clear and sharp but some scenes look a little washed out & it is not as good as some of the other discs I have purchased - to me it lacks the almost 3D like depth that better examples have. However, whether you see it on blu ray or dvd just see it!

I love this movie, one of my favourites with a great music soundtrack. Funny and quirky, worth a watch.