Fried Green Tomatoes is a 1991
comedy-drama film based on the novel
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by
Fannie Flagg. Directed by
Jon Avnet and written by Flagg and
Carol Sobieski, it stars
Kathy Bates,
Jessica Tandy,
Mary Stuart Masterson, and
Mary-Louise Parker. It tells the story of a
Depression-era friendship between two women, Ruth and Idgie, and a 1980s friendship between Evelyn, a middle-aged housewife, and Ninny, an elderly woman who knew Ruth and Idgie. The centerpiece and parallel story concerns the murder of Ruth's abusive husband, Frank, and the accusations that follow. It received a generally positive reception from film critics and was nominated for two
Academy Awards.