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 | prison | world war two | wound | woods | 

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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:

Care of the Spitfire Grill

Filming Locations:

Peacham, Vermont, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$150,049, 25 August 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,643,776, 8 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?

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

Referenced in Sledstvie veli...: Besy (2007)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Once again Hollywood's reviews mean nothing

This movie got pretty bad reviews from the Hollywood Hype-mongers. I suppose because it didn't have a lot of flash. All it had was a well-written original story and superb acting with real characters. Anyone who has ever spent time in a small town can identify with nearly all the characters. I could practically name them all in the town I grew up in. I'm sure the only people who would NOT enjoy this movie are the ones who grew up in Hollywood and believe everyone is like them. If thats not you, rent this movie for a truly enjoyable evening. But you might want to bring tissues. It's a very warm and often funny movie, but it's also very sad in some places. Will Patton is incredible and I honestly don't understand why Alison Elliott hasn't been used more than she has since this movie. Ellen Burstyn was glorious as ever :)