If you need a good cry, try streaming Fried Green Tomatoes. You’ll shed some tears, but you’ll also be hungry for some Southern cooking, too. Based on the hit Fannie Flagg novel, Fried Green Tomatoes tells two separate but interconnected stories: Evelyn (Kathy Bates) and Ninny’s (Jessica Tandy) unlikely friendship in the 1980s, and Idgie (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Ruth’s (Mary-Louise Parker) close bond in the 1930s. These women endure all sorts of trials and tribulations, including spousal abuse, racism and family tragedies, but it’s their friendships with each other that pull them through the tough times and make their lives richer and better.
The term “melodrama” gets a bad rap — they can be good, too, and Fried Green Tomatoes is a superior example of the subgenre. The story, which spans decades and includes a surprise twist, is always interesting to watch unfold, and the core four performances are pitch-perfect. The movie avoids feeling cliched and tacky; instead, it’s inspirational and moving in a way few movies past or present rarely are.