How to Make an American Quilt (1995)

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

Director:

Jocelyn Moorhouse

Writers:

Whitney Otto (novel), Jane Anderson (screenplay)

Stars:

Kaelynn Craddick, Winona Ryder, Ellen Burstyn

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kaelynn Craddick	...	Young Finn
Sara Craddick	...	Young Finn
Kate Capshaw	...	Sally
Adam Baldwin	...	Finn's Father
Winona Ryder	...	Finn
Dermot Mulroney	...	Sam
Ellen Burstyn	...	Hy
Anne Bancroft	...	Glady Joe
Maya Angelou	...	Anna
Alfre Woodard	...	Marianna
Lois Smith	...	Sophia
Jean Simmons	...	Em
Kate Nelligan	...	Constance
Denis Arndt	...	James
Rip Torn	...	Arthur

Storyline

Finn is a young graduate student, finishing a master's thesis, and preparing for marriage to her fiance Sam. But thoughts of the end of the free life, and a potential summer fling, intrude. She goes home to her grandmother, where, over the making of her wedding gift by a group of quilting-bee friends, laughter, bickering, love, and advice lead her toward a more open-eyed examination of her course.

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Plot Keywords:

grandmother | wedding | marriage | love | quilt | 

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Taglines:

There's beauty in the patterns of life.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 October 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

A szerelem színei

Filming Locations:

11840 W. Telegraph Rd., Santa Paula, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$23,574,130 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amblin Entertainment, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last live action cinema film of Jean Simmons and first cinema film of Jared Leto.

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Quotes

Em Reed: Bicker, bicker, bicker makes a gal age quicker.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

"I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire"
Written by Eddie Seiler, Sol Marcus, Bennie Benjamin and Eddie Durham
Performed by The Ink Spots

User Reviews

Never quite adds up ...

This is the sort of movie that you see, and after you've seen it, you realize you ought to have read the book instead. The characters were just too much, I think, for the director (or screenwriters) to handle. None of the characters were boring, but they were predictable.

This is the story of a young woman named Finn, who is working on her third attempt at a Master's thesis and has just been proposed to by her boyfriend. She decides to spend the summer with her grandmother and aunt in a very small, California town so she can figure things out. Her grandmother, aunt and their quilting circle get together to make Finn's wedding quilt, and share stories of their past (and current) loves.

Some of the acting is quite good; I especially liked Gena Rowlands and Anne Bancroft. Ryder is, as usual, kind of drippy. A little too cute to be your average Jo; it's hard for me to take her seriously. In any case, the women's stories are usually interesting, but lack depth. I'm sure the movie didn't do the original story justice.

On the positive side, there is the nice use of flashbacks into different times and places; and I think this movie was just as much about how men relate to women as it was about women trying to deal with their men.

This film also features Winona (once again) narrating herself; a technique that is beginning to wear on my nerves. All in all, I was disappointed by the overall product; it was rather like a few intriguing patches being wasted in a pretty, but unimaginative quilt.