Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Emotions run hot and heavy and nonstop in this adaptation of two novels by Rebecca Wells. It's a true chick flick, in that the men of the picture are barely there. Sandra Bullock plays Siddalee Walker, a successful playwright who has to come to terms with her mother's--let's not be coy--insanity before she can find happiness and marriage with an amiable Brit. The picture has its moments, mostly provided by the quartet of gifted actresses who play the Ya-Ya sisters in their later years. But first-time director Callie Khouri slows the pace to a crawl, and the relentless flips back and forth among three narratives and time frames are graceless to the point of confusion. In the end, the big secret that, as we are told over and over, ruined Siddalee's life turns out to be something of an anticlimax; it would make for a rather tame Jerry Springer show.