Family does strange things to people. Maybe you get freaked out over when your family comes over, or perhaps it provides solace for you. Either way, the presence of family changes our surroundings, whether their visits be brief or long. I’m sure for the family depicted in August: Osage County, they hope that this visit will be as short as humanly possible, especially since tensions and secrets come bubbling to the surface.

When Beverly (Sam Shepard) goes missing, an entire family comes together in Osage County for the first time in ages. Whether it’s soft spoken Charles Aiken (Benedict Cumberbatch), the agitated Barbara (Julia Roberts) or Beverly’s chaotic wife Violet (Meryl Streep), among many others, everybody’s gathered to help Violet get through this unexpected disappearance. What seems like just a routine family get-together, though, soon morphs into a pivotal experience for all involved as the families entire structure and affection for one another soon begins to crumble.

I was really worried going into August: Osage County that this would be some kind of sanitized comedy where characters major flaws are played off as simply fodder for easy jokes. Thankfully, the screenplay written by Tracy Letts dives deep into what makes each of these characters tick and makes sure all of their interactions (whatever emotion is being expressed in them) is as organic and real as possible. Major points for the character of Violet, who could have been an overbearing monster if played as a person the family still loves unconditionally. However the way they make her as someone each member of the clan seems to have some kind of bone to pick with makes things that much more interesting for the film.

Of course, Meryl Streep knocks it out of the park as Violet, making sure she retains all the depth that comes across in Letts writing while simultaneously bringing all of her own twists to the personality. The best part about Streep’s performance though, is the ability for her character to somehow be both vulnerable and tyrannical, sometimes within the same scene. It’s masterful to watch, but thankfully Streep isn’t the only one here who brings high caliber acting to her role. Julia Roberts, though not great, still does fine, while Chris Cooper and Margo Martindale make for a realistically riveting couple. And as for Benedict Cumberbatch, he may be the best thing in the movie, with his characters paranoid personality being a complete turnaround from anything else we’ve ever seen from the actor.

Luscious backdrops surround all of the actors, as they spout out monologues that feel, at times, a bit clumsy, but do get the film’s main points and ideals across in a successful fashion. In fact, despite my low expectations coming into the film, the rest of the film comes across just like that; in a successful fashion. Whether it’s some of the great acting on display or the careful attention paid to how the characters interact and grow, August: Osage County is a dandy surprise that I think will surprise anyone who manages to give it a shot.