That's a wonderful question! I saw that movie too long ago to trust my memories of it and to mention it in the piece (esp. since I saw it before I moved here).

But my hazy memory is that there's a lot of truth its portrayal of a certain sort of Southern woman as having an admirable grit and gumption. Some Southern men idealize women, especially those mamas I mention in the story. But there's a saying here: "Southern women take a lot of abuse up there on those pedestals."

So I'd like to throw your question out to any others who are reading this: If you're Southern and have read the book or seen the movie, what did you think of it?