Sordid Lives

Synopsis:

An old woman’s death in a small Texas town sets off a firestorm within the family. Her sister Sissy Hickey tries to calm down Peggy’s children–uptight Latrelle and sassy Lavonda. Also Latrelle wants her gay son Ty to come to Texas for the funeral…but he’s out in LA and never told anyone he’s gay and is sick of keeping it a secret. Then there’s Peggy’s son Brother Boy was has been institutionalized because he’s gay. THEN there’s G.W. who was cheating on his wife Noleta with Peggy and feels guilty about her death. As three generations of a family in a small Texas town gather for the funeral, we learn the hilarious, sad, trashy truth of their “Sordid Lives.”

Quick Thoughts:

“Sordid Lives” is best described by its own tagline: “A black comedy about white trash!” This film adaptation of Del Shores’s play by the same name is a cult classic. Starring an all-star ensemble cast including Delta Burke, Bonnie Bedelia, Beau Bridges, Leslie Jordan, and of course, Olivia Newton-John, they do an incredible job bringing their respective Southern “bible-belt” caricatures to life – and evoke plenty of laughs! Unfortunately, this film adaptation has a couple of flaws. Rather than the individual scenes of the stage play, Shore has cut & edited it all together in a way that both works at keeping the timeline consistent yet equally hinders the flow of the film. Paired with awkward camera angles and over-lit scenes, the end result falls rather flat. I actually wonder whether the stage play would be more enjoyable to watch. However the film’s issues aside, this queer comedy film is a hoot that’s best watched with friends!