Cookie's Fortune (1999)

Director:

Robert Altman

Writer (WGA):

Anne Rapp (written by)

Release Date:

2 April 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Welcome to Holly Springs... home of murder, mayhem and catfish enchiladas.

Plot:

Conflict arises in the small town of Holly Springs when an old woman's death causes a variety of reactions among family and friends.

Plot Keywords:

Suicide | Small Town | Fortune | Secret | Police

Awards:

2 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Glenn Close	...	Camille Dixon
Julianne Moore	...	Cora Duvall
Liv Tyler	...	Emma Duvall
Chris O'Donnell	...	Jason Brown
Charles S. Dutton	...	Willis Richland
Patricia Neal	...	Jewel Mae 'Cookie' Orcutt
Ned Beatty	...	Lester Boyle
Courtney B. Vance	...	Otis Tucker
Donald Moffat	...	Jack Palmer
Lyle Lovett	...	Manny Hood
Danny Darst	...	Billy Cox
Matt Malloy	...	Eddie 'The Expert' Pitts
Randle Mell	...	Patrick Freeman
Niecy Nash	...	Wanda Carter
Rufus Thomas	...	Theo Johnson

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for the depiction of a violent act, and for sensuality.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:12 | Iceland:L | Taiwan:GP | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:15 | New Zealand:M | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Holly Springs, Mississippi, USA

Company:

Elysian Dreams

Trivia:

Patricia Neal's first film in 10 years. Her scenes took two weeks to film.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the opening scene where the police car backs up and then pulls away, you can see the cameraman's shadow on the side of the car.

Quotes:

[the police lab reports that Camille is a hemophiliac]
Otis Tucker: A condition under which, in times of extreme stress, her blood will not clot properly. Emma, Camille Dixon is your aunt, isn't she?
Emma Duvall: Unfortunately.
Otis Tucker: You ever seen her suffer from this condition?
Emma Duvall: Unfortunately not.

Movie Connections:

References Sunset Blvd. (1950)

A comedy that deserves to be seen

Ever since I've seen "Gosford Park" I'm convinced that Robert Altman has some real talent. The only Altman movie that I had seen before that one was "Prêt-à-Porter", at least a part of it, but enough to know that I didn't like it. So when I got the chance to see this movie with the interesting title "Cookie's Fortune", I gave it a try. I thought that this would be a comedy about a Chinese restaurant or something (The only thing that I knew before taping it, was that it was a comedy from Robert Altman, that's where my confusion comes from). It had nothing to do with what I thought, but I liked it nevertheless...

Jewel Mae "Cookie" Orcutt is an older lady who lives in a small town, called Holly Springs. All the residents are peaceful, kind folk, except for her niece Camille Dixon. Cookie is a widow for several years now, but she isn't alone. Willis Richland does all her shopping and helps her wherever he can. But she is tired of living without her husband and she wants to die. She commits suicide, but when the irritating and pushy Camille discovers what her aunt has done, she decides to cover up the real story, convinced that this will have a bad influence on the good family name. Together with her shy younger sister Cora, whose estranged daughter Emma as just returned to town, she tries to make it all look like a robbery and murder. To do so, she eats the suicide note, hides the gun in the bushes and shatters some windows. The police is convinced that the murder story is true and they start looking for a suspect, Willis. Although the rest of the town is convinced Willis didn't commit the crime, an outside investigator isn't so sure. But as the truth comes out, more secrets are revealed than everybody thought existed in this quiet town...

I guess it's the combination of the rather naive looking people in the town, the nice story and the fine acting that makes this movie work. Of course you expect to see some nice performances from people like Glenn Close, Julianne Moore, Liv Tyler,... but in my opinion it was Charles S. Dutton who was the most surprising of them all. He has already played some minor roles in well known movies like "Alien³" and "Se7en", but it was the first time that I saw him in major role and I must say that I liked it.

Overall, this may not be the most original movie, but it is a nice comedy and I had some good laughs with it. Sure, it is a bit stereotypical, but that's not bad. It's a comedy and well-used stereotypes are always funny to watch. Add to this some fine acting and a nice story and what you get is a comedy that certainly deserves to be seen. I give it a 7/10.