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.

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 | reference to homer's odyssey | prison | world war two | wound | 

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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:

6 September 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Spitfire Grill

Filming Locations:

Peacham, Vermont, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$150,049, 25 August 1996

Gross USA:

$12,658,486

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,658,486

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?

Trivia

An early Christian film made by The Sacred Heart League, Inc. to raise money for Auto Immune Disease research and treatment.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: A Very Brady Sequel/She's the One/Kansas City/Girls Town/The Spitfire Grill (1996)

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Soundtracks

There Is a Balm in Gilead
(uncredited)
traditional spiritual
Performed by Alison Elliott

User Reviews

Two leads can't prevent slip into melodrama

When this won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival in 1996, a lot of critics sharpened their knives, because the film was produced with money from a religious group, and they thought it was pushing religion on the masses. The truth is, only a couple of scenes take place at a church, and there's nothing particularly "religious" about the storyline. Having got that out of the way, this is another instance where good performances and a promising story are sunk by melodrama. The two good performances are Alison Elliot as Percy, the ex-convict, and the underrated Marcia Gay Harden as Shelby, the housewife who becomes her best friend. The movie is best in the scenes between the two of them(like when they're cooking breakfast together at the grill for the first time), and I also liked the way first time director Lee David Zlotoff uses the outdoors. But he's got a lot to learn about writing, as the movie gradually becomes melodramatic, with so much plot thrown in you're suffocating in it. Also, Will Patton, who I like, is stuck playing such a one-note character he might as well have "Warning: Plot Device" written on him, and Ellen Burstyn does her crotchety old woman again. All in all, a missed opportunity.