How to Make an American Quilt (1995)

Director:

Jocelyn Moorhouse

Writers (WGA):

Whitney Otto (novel)
Jane Anderson (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 October 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

There's beauty in the patterns of life.

Plot:

Bride-to-be Finn Dodd hears tales of romance and sorrow from her elders as they construct a quilt.

Plot Keywords:

Graduate Student | Advice | Love | Grandmother | Marriage

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Winona Ryder	...	Finn Dodd
Anne Bancroft	...	Glady Joe Cleary
Ellen Burstyn	...	Hy Dodd
Kate Nelligan	...	Constance Saunders
Alfre Woodard	...	Marianna
Kaelynn Craddick	...	Young Finn
Sara Craddick	...	Young Finn
Kate Capshaw	...	Sally, Finn's Mother
Adam Baldwin	...	Finn's Father
Dermot Mulroney	...	Sam
Maya Angelou	...	Anna
Lois Smith	...	Sophia Darling Richards
Jean Simmons	...	Em Reed
Denis Arndt	...	James
Rip Torn	...	Arthur Cleary

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for a scene of drug use, some sensuality and nudity.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #34077) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Germany:6 (w) | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Banning, California, USA

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

Last live action cinema film of Jean Simmons.

Quotes:

Em Reed: To hell if I know where love resides.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Charmed: How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans (#2.17)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Beautiful Dreamer

A magical journey - nothing more, nothing less

The thing with American Quilt, which you will especially notice if you have already read the book, is that it has a lot of contents to deal with in the ranges of a feature film. But Jocelyn Moorehouse obviously wanted to pack all the magic of the small stories of the women into this film, she wanted an entire quilt, full of bits and parts. It is only when understanding this that one can fully appreciate this wonderful piece. Fynn, escaping her partner and the life (marriage) probably unfolding before her, stays with her grandmother and -aunt for the summer. The serious young eccentric, a worried, messed-up hippie girl, confronts her future, her past and her present (dealing with gorgeous Johnathon Schaech chasing her with smiles and strawberries), when she dives into the life- and love stories told to her by the women in her grandmother´s quilting circle. The rest is magic. See the torture of love, the journeys of women and the revelations of grief and new beginnings, see what they hold dear, what will always stay with them, and learn what Fynn eventually comes to terms with: That life is not about perfection, it´s about balance, about putting the small things together, just like a quilt. So, okay, mechanically, Moorhouse really doesn´t have enough time for subtlety, and some characters and developments literally just fly by without any diving in. This will lead people to saying it´s superficial, but it´s not: It´s a journey, like looking out of a car window in another country: Just peeks. Bits. Parts. Parts of a quilt the movie leaves you to put together. If you do, like I did, it´s so moving and inspiring. Warm. The music of THE one-and-only Thomas Newman, the beautiful Winona Ryder, the charismatic ladies, the land, full of secrets and peace. This is what makes it special. Fast, but special. And the final highpoint, a literal "storm" that blows everything apart yet puts everything together, is a cinematic masterpiece, proof of heartfelt, imaginative work of both the writer and the director. They´re actually dreaming an ending together - just take this lovely movie in and stop bickering about reality. If you ask me.