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Fried Green Tomatoes

Where to watch.

Rent Fried Green Tomatoes on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

Fried Green Tomatoes ' tearjerking drama is undeniably manipulative, but in the hands of a skilled cast that includes Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates, it's also powerfully effective.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Kathy Bates

Evelyn Couch

Jessica Tandy

Ninny Threadgoode

Mary Stuart Masterson

Idgie Threadgoode

Mary-Louise Parker

Ruth Jamison

Nick Searcy

Frank Bennett

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Fried Green Tomatoes

I have a built-in resistance to movies where a couple of people sit around in the present, discussing a story that took place in the past, and then we get flashbacks showing the earlier story. I usually can’t see what the point is: Why not just tell that story from the past and be done with it? And my blood always curdles a little toward the end of these flashback movies, when . . . hold on . . . can you believe it . . . the person telling the story is actually that young person from all those years ago that (gasp!) the story actually happened to! Sometimes flashbacks work. They work in “ Citizen Kane ,” for example. Usually they do not. Look at Bette Midler’s “ For The Boys ,” which creeps with unendurable inevitability to a foregone conclusion.

One of the reasons Jon Avnet’s “Fried Green Tomatoes” survives the flashback structure is that it devises an interesting character to be the listener to the long-ago tale.

She is Evelyn Couch ( Kathy Bates ), dowdy, unhappily married, dripping with low self-esteem, who during a visit to a nursing home meets a sparkling old lady named Miz Threadgoode ( Jessica Tandy ).

They start to talking, and before long Evelyn looks forward to her Wednesday visits, at which the old lady makes a continued story out of the sensational events of half a century ago in the town of Whistle Stop, GA.

You have been to Whistle Stop before, in a dozen other books and movies. It is one of those Southern towns where decent folks get along fine with the Negroes, but the racist rednecks are forever driving up in their pickups and waving shotguns around and causing trouble. In this case, one of the rednecks is the violent, drunken husband of a young woman named Ruth ( Mary-Louise Parker ). Ruth actually shouldn’t have ought to married him in the first place, especially according to Idgie Threadgoode ( Mary Stuart Masterson ), who wears pants and a tie and cuts her hair short and has a crush on Ruth.

The two women set up in business together as the Whistle Stop Cafe (breaded fried green tomatoes a specialty), with the help of Big George ( Stan Shaw ), a black man whose mother Sipsey ( Cicely Tyson ) raised Idgie. But when the women insist on serving Big George at the cafe, the local Klansmen get riled, and when Ruth’s evil husband disappears and is assumed murdered, the lynch mob decides Big George was the killer.

Well, what did happen to the drunken lout? That is the payoff of old Miz Threadgoode’s story. But the murder and even the subsequent trial are not really the subject of “Fried Green Tomatoes,” which is really about nonconformity in an intolerant society. It’s pretty clear that Idgie is a lesbian, and fairly clear that she and Ruth are a couple, although given the mores of the South at the time a lot goes unspoken, and we are never quite sure how clear that is to Ruth. It is also clear that they consider Sipsey and George better company than most of the white folks in town, and that, by deciding for themselves who they are and how they will lead their lives, Idgie and Ruth are a threat to the hidebound locals.

All of that makes an interesting story, but what is also interesting is the way the story gradually gives the Kathy Bates character the courage to deal with her own life. She is a compulsive overeater whose husband, Mr. Couch, was apparently named after the piece of furniture he favors while watching the complete seasons of all of America’s professional sports teams on the TV. Even after she takes some of those titillating Total Woman suggestions and turns up at the door wrapped in Saran Wrap, she’s still not able to interest her husband.

“Fried Green Tomatoes” is fairly predictable, and the flashback structure is a distraction, but the strength of the performances overcomes the problems of the structure. I especially liked Mary Stuart Masterson’s work, but then I nearly always do (see her in “ Some Kind of Wonderful “). And I enjoyed the vigor with which Jessica Tandy told her long-ago tale, about a woman not completely unlike herself.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

• Jessica Tandy as Ninny Threadgoode
• Kathy Bates as Evelyn Couch

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Parents' guide to, fried green tomatoes.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 12 Reviews
• Kids Say 13 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Heather Boerner , based on child development research. How do we rate?

Heartwarming '90s classic has some language, violence.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Fried Green Tomatoes is a 1991 movie in which a dissatisfied housewife is inspired to change by the exciting stories told to her by an elderly woman in a nursing home. This film is heartwarming but also contains many violent and scary scenes that are probably too much for young kids…

Why Age 13+?

Idgy drinks, smokes a cigar, and gambles. Ruth gets drunk. Drunken behavior in a

"N" word used several times. "A--holes," "s--t," "bitch," "bastard," "G--damn,"

One character is hit and killed by a train (offscreen), and another is almost ki

Evelyn fantasizes about answering her front door wearing only cellophane. There'

Krispy Kreme donuts. A six-pack of Budweiser clearly shown.

Any Positive Content?

Evelyn, inspired by Ninny's stories of Idgy and Ruth, learns to stand up for her

Movie makes pointed commentary on female empowerment. The movie also portrays th

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Idgy drinks, smokes a cigar, and gambles. Ruth gets drunk. Drunken behavior in a bar. Cigarette smoking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

"N" word used several times. "A--holes," "s--t," "bitch," "bastard," "G--damn," "damn," "hell."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

One character is hit and killed by a train (offscreen), and another is almost killed by a train. Ruth's husband is abusive. He kicks her down a flight of stairs when she's pregnant, and viewers see her with a black eye. A KKK group whips Big George and threatens to steal Ruth's baby and hurt Idgy. Frank hits Sipsey and Smokey Lonesome. A character is murdered off-screen.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Evelyn fantasizes about answering her front door wearing only cellophane. There's an intense sexual connection between Idgy and Ruth, though nothing sexual or romantic happens on-screen. Evelyn attends classes on female empowerment in which the instructor talks about masturbation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Positive role models.

Evelyn, inspired by Ninny's stories of Idgy and Ruth, learns to stand up for herself, to demand and expect the best out of her life and relationships. Ninny's character is the opposite of the typical stereotype of the elderly. Idgy is a free-spirited woman who defies the conventions of Great Depression-era rural Alabama in order to live life on her terms.

Positive Messages

Movie makes pointed commentary on female empowerment. The movie also portrays the elderly in a positive light -- their lives, and the stories of their lives, should be treasured and cherished for the wisdom that it can be. Racism, domestic abuse, and gender inequality is shown against the backdrop of Great Depression-era rural Alabama.

Parents need to know that Fried Green Tomatoes is a 1991 movie in which a dissatisfied housewife is inspired to change by the exciting stories told to her by an elderly woman in a nursing home. This film is heartwarming but also contains many violent and scary scenes that are probably too much for young kids. Several characters die, including main characters, which may be difficult for sensitive kids or kids who have lost a loved one. The KKK has a presence in the film, whipping one character and threatening another. One main character suffers spousal abuse while pregnant. The subtext is that Idgy and Ruth are lesbian partners, though the film never shows anything that would make that clear. There's occasional profanity, including the "N" word, and drinking and cigarette smoking. While taking a female empowerment class, the instructor and Evelyn's friend make reference to masturbation. The film offers plenty of comeuppance for the bad guys, though, and focuses on the empowerment of women through their bold actions. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (12)
• Kids say (13)

Based on 12 parent reviews

A wonderful way to teach your children to ALWAYS stand up for what is right.

On the right side of history, what's the story.

Evelyn ( Kathy Bates ) is a repressed Southern housewife who downs a dozen candy bars a day to cope with her failing marriage when she meets the frail Ninny Threadgoode ( Jessica Tandy ) at a senior citizens' home. Ninny tells Evelyn the story of Idgy ( Mary Stuart Masterson ) and Ruth's ( Mary-Louise Parker ) life together in the tiny Alabama town of Whistle Stop. Nonconformist Idgy, a young woman prone to wearing men's clothes and gambling, and God-fearing Ruth face abusive husbands, the KKK, and even a murder rap together. Through it all, they raise Ruth's son, Buddy Jr., and learn how important it is to protect those you love no matter what.

Is It Any Good?

Like all good Southern gothic stories, FRIED GREEN TOMATOES serves up a heaping portion of tall tales, scary situations, and explorations of social issues. The story unfolds in ellipses and fable-like flashbacks that make it both spellbinding and frightening, teaching viewers the importance of altruism.

Fried Green Tomatoes wouldn't be the long-standing favorite it is without the phenomenal performances of some of the day's best actors. Bates, Tandy, Cicely Tyson , and Parker bring this tale to life. They also raise questions about whether the way we deal with issues like homelessness and racial intolerance is much better today.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about empowerment in the characters' lives. Many had to stray from the good opinions of others to feel empowered. Is ignoring your critics a good idea sometimes? Was it a good idea for Idgy? Was it for Ruth? Why or why not? Ruth is also abused by her husband, which may be a good opportunity for parents to talk to kids about what's acceptable in relationships and how to identify someone who's abusive.

How do you think Idgy and Ruth's relationship would be handled today as compared to when this movie came out in 1991?

How did this movie use the "story within a story" form to show how the experiences of the past can illuminate and have relevance to the lives of today?

Movie Details

• In theaters : January 12, 1991
• On DVD or streaming : December 15, 1998
• Cast : Kathy Bates , Mary Stuart Masterson , Mary-Louise Parker
• Director : John Avnet
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : Book Characters , Friendship , History
• Run time : 137 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : violence, thematic intensity.
• Last updated : May 10, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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