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Spring has sprung! Once you’ve picked all the daffodils, consider grabbing these seasonal-set flicks.
Steel Magnolias (1989)
“Steel Magnolias” isn’t exclusively set in the spring, but it culminates with an Easter egg hunt in a field in full bloom, and I can’t help but associate it with the springtime months. Maybe it’s the all-encompassing pink theme of Shelby’s (Julia Roberts) wedding, the sun-kissed character of the film’s southern setting or the bright, bursting personalities of the characters themselves. Or maybe it’s simply because gossip is always ripe for the picking at Truvy’s (Dolly Parton) salon.
Spring Breakers (2013)
“Spriiiing Breeeaaak Fooor-Evaahhh.” Go ahead, say it with Alien (James Franco), the white rapper-gangster who takes this neon-lit nightmare’s jailbait foursome (played by Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Rachel Korine and Ashley Benson) under his corrupt wing, only to find that it’s the girls who are running things. Don’t be quick to call it fetishism — this modern classic is covertly feminist.
Easter Parade (1948)
Irving Berlin’s immortal musical boasts some of the most famed duets between Judy Garland and Fred Astaire (like “Steppin’ Out with My Baby”), and its decadent costumes are coupled with groundbreaking choreography that Astaire executes with trademark mastery. But the standout sequence has to be “Shakin’ the Blues Away,” a solo act unforgettably performed by Ann Miller.
Adaptation (2002)
How do you adapt a book about flowers into an interesting film? If you’re Charlie Kaufman adapting Susan Orlean’s “The Orchid Thief,” you craft a pseudo-fictitious film about that adaptation struggle, writing yourself and Orlean into the supremely meta story. Meryl Streep and Nicolas Cage are superb as the author and the adapter (with the latter playing his twin brother too), but stealing the show is Chris Cooper, who plays Orlean’s swamp-wading, oddly beguiling orchid thief.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
It’s too gorgeous outside for Ferris (Matthew Broderick, never better) to waste his time at school, so he plays hooky with his girlfriend (Mia Sara) and his reluctant best pal (Alan Ruck), who join him for an epic outing involving car theft, a parade, romance and Charlie Sheen. However naughty, “Ferris” is a testament to taking advantage of a perfect spring day. ■
Comment and see the trailers for this week’s movies at southphillyreview.com/arts-and-entertainment/movies.
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