The Spitfire Grill (1996)

Percy, upon being released from prison, goes to the small town of Gillead, to find a place where she can start over again. She is taken in by Hannah, to help out at her place, the Spitfire ... See full summary »

Director:

Lee David Zlotoff

Writer:

Lee David Zlotoff

Stars:

Alison Elliott, Ellen Burstyn, Marcia Gay Harden

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alison Elliott	...	Percy Talbott
Ellen Burstyn	...	Hannah Ferguson
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Shelby Goddard
Will Patton	...	Nahum Goddard
Kieran Mulroney	...	Joe Sperling
Gailard Sartain	...	Sheriff Gary Walsh
John M. Jackson	...	Johnny B. / Eli
Louise De Cormier	...	Effy Katshaw
Ida Griesemer	...	Rebecca Goddard
Lincoln Grow	...	Molly Goddard
Emerson Grow	...	Molly Goddard
Sam Lloyd Sr.	...	Meeshack Boggs
Lisa Louise Langford	...	Jolene
Forrest Murray	...	Stuart
Patty Smith	...	Customer #1

Storyline

Percy, upon being released from prison, goes to the small town of Gillead, to find a place where she can start over again. She is taken in by Hannah, to help out at her place, the Spitfire Grill. Percy brings change to the small town, stirring resentment and fear in some, and growth in others.

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Plot Keywords:

small town | prison | church | new england | telephone call | 

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Taglines:

To a town with no future, comes a girl with a past.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 August 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Care of the Spitfire Grill

Filming Locations:

Peacham, Vermont, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$150,049 (USA) (23 August 1996)

Gross:

$12,643,776 (USA) (6 December 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Gregory Productions, The Mendocino Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Percy: [answering call] Maine tourist office, how can I help you today?

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Soundtracks

"Falling Sky"
Performed by Martin Zellar
Written by Martin Zellar
Courtesy of Rykodisk

User Reviews

Fried red potatoes

For a film that won the audience award at Sundance, this film must have played briefly in this area, as I have no memory of it when it was released. I saw it on cable recently; it was a surprise, but in retrospect, there are a few things that bothered me later.

It appears this is the first film for the director. Lee David Zlotoff is a product of television, as far as I've learned. Not having seen anything he has created before, I can only compare this film to similar fare one sees in the "movie-of-the-week" film made for that medium.

I have no way of knowing if the accents these actors speak are really from Maine, or from the South, as I have never met any one from that state where the action takes place. That said, the film will not disappoint because it tells a good story. It's easy to like, although it is predictable.

Young Percy Talbot can't shake her past. Instead of fleeing to a big city and getting lost there, she selects the small town of Gilead in rural Maine. Her choice of locales will proves Percy wrong. In the town, she manages to touch the lives of a lot of the local folk, who in return, show her kindness, after an initial rejection.

Allison Elliott was effective as the young woman. Ellen Burstyn, as Hannah, is quite good. Marcia Gay Harden underplays Shelby, the woman who gains Percy's trust. Will Patton is the only one that has nothing to do in the film.