Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

REVIEW
The Southern female ensemble film, fast becoming a genre all its own, won't have its current reigning champ Fried Green Tomatoes dethroned quite yet, as this film adaptation of two popular Rebecca Wells novels comes up a bit short in the "make-'em-laugh-make-'em-cry" department. Buoyed by a strong all-star cast, Ya-Ya traces the rocky relationship of a mother and daughter (Burstyn, Bullock), two equally headstrong women, and the attempt of the mother's childhood friends (known as the Ya-Yas) to bring them together. The story also recalls the troubled road Mom had taken when she was younger, complete with flashbacks and forwards. Unlike a Steel Magnolias, the dialogue isn't quite funny enough to overcome uneven pacing, middling characters and patchy editing. But it does have that good ensemble, who seem very eager to please despite having to portray characters that are one-dimensional and -- more often than not -- not all that interesting.