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:

Winona Ryder, Ellen Burstyn, Anne Bancroft

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:

title directed by woman | younger version of character | triple f rated | love | marriage | 

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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:

Recuerdos de amores pasados

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$23,574,130

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$41,174,130

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Jared Leto.

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Goofs

When Finn meets Leon at the pool for the first time, she sometimes is shown to be wearing a towel around her waist, and other times there's no towel...(during the same conversation)

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Scrubs: My Occurrence (2002)

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Soundtracks

Swinging on a Star
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen
Lyrics by Johnny Burke
Performed by Bing Crosby

User Reviews

Good "chick flick"

Winona Ryder spends a summer with her aunts while writing her thesis and deciding whether to marry her fiancée Dermot Mulroney. She learns about life and love through her aunts and friends while they sew a huge quilt together. Good, well-done but there's too much material for one movie. There are 5 flashbacks along with the main story and they're given very short shrift. The real pleasure is seeing a bunch of pros (Ellen Burnstyn, Anne Bancroft, Winona Ryder, etc) act with a talented then-unknown cast (Jonathan Schaech, Claire Danes, Mulroney, etc etc)... everyone's good and on target. Nothing new script-wise but I was never bored. Also good to see the late Esther Rolle and Jared Leto in small bits. Worth catching, but very talky at times.