Cookie's Fortune (1999)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

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:

Small Town | Suicide | Police | Fortune | Mississippi

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

Color:

Color

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:

Robert Altman felt that Liv Tyler had been too glamorous in previous films so he asked her to cut her hair short for for this movie.

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 pleasant surprise, to say the least! Cookie is a wonderful, rich work from Altman with great characters, performances, story, music and writing!

Cookie shoots herself. Glenn Close discovers the body and the suicide note. Being a theatrical director, she decides this will not do... She invents a scenario for how a burglar might have murdered her. What she didn't expect was for the police to find a suspect...

Everything just goes completely right in Cookie. The atmosphere really gels, the cast are cohesive, the plot situation is interesting and its subtextual implications on suicide is also fascinating. Its actually an Altman film you feel like delving into. The amateur production of Salome the community are putting on is one of his most interesting devices. It gets you thinking of rhythms that run through the film, of suicide and human existence.

Also, Glenn Close's being a theatrical director, and carrying those skills into everyday life, to fairly extreme measures in the film, is an interesting subtext - commenting on the director/author as God.

Altman's regular themes of the small town and the weather are here - the weather once again reminding us of a higher force we have no control over.

I thought it was a fascinating, enjoyable film. I laughed out loud many times - mainly at just fun little aspects of the characters. Which is why it was such a pleasant surprise that Cookie's Fortune was not only an enjoyable movie, its actually a really great one.

10/10. One of Altman's best, and my favourites so far.