Cookie's Fortune (1999)

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 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.

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)

rather sweet; left me with a smile when I first saw it

One might call Cookie's Fortune a 'minor' effort from Robert Altman, a filmmaker who once commented that each film "is all part of the same picture", or rather one long movie with bits and pieces making up a career whole. But it has enough going for it through its very competent cast and interesting script to keep it afloat from being the kind of small film little old ladies might watch on TV during the day. In that sense it isn't as 'heavy' as some of Altman's other work. It is also cool enough to treat the subject of a mystery around a suicide with enough humanity to make some scenes smile-worthy. Considering some of the darker elements in the script, Altman depicts this to the point where- get this- Cookie's Fortune is sometimes shown on the HBO family channel!

Is it really a kid's film? I'm not sure, but it isn't work for only one age group- its appeal from its cast of a collective of small towners is appealing to most in the audience. That the cast- Glenn Close, Liv Tyler, (especially) Charles S. Dutton, even Chris O'Donnell- gels and plays some of the dialog sincerely even when its meant to not be taken seriously at all, is a credit to the filmmaker. That it also might not be quite as memorable as some of the director's major films is and is not a fault. It is a fault because the subject matter is sort of stuck in a certain genre realm. It is not because the subject mater is also very much more intelligent than would be expected at times. I was also fond of certain scenes and interactions with the actors, the rhythm of it all, like early on with Dutton and the actress Patricia Neal who plays the old lady. I also really like the climax.

So it's a good work about the rumblings and eccentricities of a small town, the good in people as well as the lesser parts, and parts of greed and death seen through a light that is not aiming for anything 'cheap', so to speak.