IMDb >
Cookie's Fortune (1999)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsCookie's Fortune (1999) More at IMDbPro »
| Videos (see all 6) |
|
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Release Date:
2 April 1999 (USA)
more
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. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Small Town
|
Suicide
|
Police
|
Fortune
|
Mississippi
more
Awards:
2 wins
&
8 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Julianne Moore
(From The AV Club. 27 May 2008, 9:01 PM, PDT)
Director Robert Altman Dies at 81
(From IMDb News. 21 November 2006)
(From The AV Club. 27 May 2008, 9:01 PM, PDT)
Director Robert Altman Dies at 81
(From IMDb News. 21 November 2006)
User Comments:
A nice place to visit...
more (110 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | 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 |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for the depiction of a violent act, and for sensuality.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
118 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Robert Altman hired a local theater group to stage a scene from Oscar Wilde's "Salome". He then copied their staging for the rendition of that same scene in the film.
more
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.
more
Quotes:
Lester Boyle:
He's innocent.
Eddie "The Expert" Pitts: And what makes you so sure of that?
Lester Boyle: I've fished with him.
more
Eddie "The Expert" Pitts: And what makes you so sure of that?
Lester Boyle: I've fished with him.
more
Movie Connections:
References Sunset Blvd. (1950)
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (110 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Cookie's Fortune (1999) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| They Won't Forget | In the Heat of the Night | The Liberation of L.B. Jones | Intruder in the Dust | The Night of the Hunter |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
What would it have been like had Tennessee Williams -- for some unfathomable reason -- been hired to write a script for "The Andy Griffith Show?" This is hardly a pressing question for either amusement or intellectual debate, but the answer would surely be something very much like Robert Altman's COOKIE'S FORTUNE.
This is undoubtedly Altman's most accessible and likable effort. It is set in Holly Springs, Mississippi, but it could just as easily be Mayberry, North Carolina. Both are in a fantasy world just north of Sitcomville and across the ridge from Capratown. In Altman fashion, Holly Springs is populated with variety of oddball folk, but in contradiction to Altman tradition, they mostly tend to be free of cynicism and malice. Andy, Opie, Barney and Aunt Bee would feel right at home. Indeed, there is even a town jail where the cell doors are left unlocked, all the better to allow visitors to come and go as they please.
The hypothetical contribution by Tennessee Williams is nonetheless apparent as well. There is a murder mystery, a suicide, a bit of gore, a dash of sex, some racial consciousness and Glenn Close, whose character might be a second cousin to Blanche DuBois. But these elements of dark and twisted madness aren't all that removed from the cheerful eccentricity that is a trademark of fictional smalltown America. As such, COOKIE'S FORTUNE falls somewhere between SHADOW OF DOUBT and THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN in its representation of bucolic life; there is a cheerful silliness to the characters, but tragedy darkens the edges just a tad.
No one would ever accuse Altman of being the sentimental type. His screen career has consisted largely of taking pot shots at the American landscape, aiming to reveal hypocrisy behind everything from patriotism to idealism, with his preferred vehicle of deconstruction being the conventions of various movie genres. He has taken a wrecking ball to everything from the backstage musical to film noir to westerns to sci-fi. Yet he approaches the Capraesque vision of smalltown American with a gentle good humor, refraining from indulging in either parody or satire. COOKIES FORTUNE is probably the only Altman film where the characters are characters, i.e., loopy individuals, not archetypes to be debunked or mocked. I'm an admirer of Altman's films, but I have to admit that I am hard pressed to think of any other instance where I felt actual affection for any of his characters.
Alas, Altman's visit to Holly Springs is no doubt a side trip in the director's journey from one "important" film to the next. A chance to stretch his legs a bit before getting back to the serious business of showing how corrupt the world is. That's a shame, because Holly Springs is a right nice little place to visit.