Fried Green Tomatoes

Do not be deterred by the indigestible title nor, if feministically inclined, by the fact that it is directed by mere man Jon Avnet. It is funny, cleverly constructed, often rather moving, and only occasionally allows sentiment to slop over the bucket.

[A] clunky, fraudulent, yet apparently crowd-pleasing laugh-and-tear-jerker.

When a group of actors this gifted and lively tries so good-naturedly to deliver such an obvious message, the audience is left in the position of trying to stop a tidal wave. You may hate yourself for responding, but you're smothered before you know it.

It's a nice, pleasant celebration of friendship, but without much meat to chew on.

Directed and co-written by first-timer Jon Avnet, the episodic production manages to capture the fried-tomato flavor of the deep South without becoming too pushy or patronizing about it.

Fried Green Tomatoes is a case of a film acted with such skill and conviction that glaring problems of narrative, pace and structure seem like minor slips.

Fried Green Tomatoes is iconic in its presentation of love across the years, across generations and across boundaries. It’s a tamed but still powerful love story -- and a lesbian classic, if only in subtext.

A compelling and enjoyable movie.

The final and most important question is, is Fried Green Tomatoes worth all the compromise or will you leave the theater forlorn and bleary eyed? Not to worry... it will leave you with that warm, gummy feeling you get when Bette Midler sings a lullabye.

For all of its false touches, its confusions, its incohesiveness and perplexing shifts of tone, there's something wonderfully sweet and zesty about Fried Green Tomatoes.