Sordid Lives (2001)

Synopsis: Sometimes it takes a death to bring a family together. In the film Sordid Lives, the all-star cast puts a comedic twist on a story of unconditional love, acceptance and "coming-out" in a Texas... Sometimes it takes a death to bring a family together. In the film Sordid Lives, the all-star cast puts a comedic twist on a story of unconditional love, acceptance and "coming-out" in a Texas family. The eccentric cast of characters in Sordid Lives come together when their intertwining lives prepare for the funeral of Peggy, the family matriarch. Now Peggy was not your average grandmother, no, she was carrying out an illicit affair with a married man (G.W. Nethercott) in a seedy motel when she took her last breath. No, it wasn't the sex that got her; it was her lover's wooden legs lying in the middle of the floor. Ya see, she got up to use the bathroom, tripped on the legs, hit her head on the sink and well you guessed it -- her brain hemorrhaged and she died right there on the spot! As all good Southern daughters do, her daughter's La Vonda and Latrelle naturally began fighting. It wasn't over what they would get, but whether or not mammma was gonna wear a mink stole in her coffin, you know, one of those with the head still on it (did we mention it was 100 degrees and in the middle of summer?). This isn't Latrelle's only problem, she has a few more to work out. She's simply in denial about a few things, one, how her mamma died and two, about her son being gay. La Vonda has her troubles too ... she wants to get their brother out of the mental institution he's been in for over 20 years and she's best friends with her mother's illicit lover's wife Noleta Nethercott. Now Noleta is a woman scorned, and out for revenge. She goes a tad over the edge the night before the funeral and tries her hand at a bit of revenge therapy inspired by "Thelma and Louise." Don't worry, she wasn't alone, La Vonda serves as her partner in crime! The sister's brother, appropriately called "Brother Boy" is away in that institution to "recover" from a bad case of homosexualism with a touch of transvestitism. OK, perhaps it is a bad case ... he's lived his life dressed as Tammy Wynette (in the early years)! The glue that holds this family together is Sissy, the deceased's sister. Aside from refereeing the acts of her two nieces and their battle over the mink stole, she picks this of all weeks to quit smoking ... but after a failed attempt with some second hand behavior modification advice using a rubber band, she promptly begins smoking again! The last of our stories comes from an ex-con turned barfly/singer named Bitsy Mae Harling. Aside from comforting everyone at Bubba's Beer Joint with her guitar and song, it turns out that she too had a "deep," meaningful relationship with the deceased! Through it all, the family members and friends are able to, accept, or at least join together for the funeral, which of course has a few last minute surprises. -- © 2001 Regency Entertainment [More]

Starring: Delta Burke, Beau Bridges, Ann Walker, Sarah Hunley

Starring: Delta Burke, Beau Bridges, Ann Walker, Sarah Hunley, Leslie Jordan, Earl H. Bullock, Bonnie Bedelia, Newell Alexander, Kirk Geiger, Olivia Newton-John, Beth Grant, Rosemary Alexander

Director: Del Shores

Director: Del Shores
Screenwriter: Del Shores
Producer: Sharyn Lane, Victoria Alonso, Max Civon, Del Shores, Todd J. Harris
Composer: George S. Clinton
Studio: Regent Releasing

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