Pieces of April

source: Pieces of April

Pieces of April visits many subjects as it wends its way through its story. Profound family issues amongst them, this movie should touch a nerve in every viewer. April is preparing her first ever T-Giving meal and must thwart a multitude of gremlins along the way. There are several seemingly separate story lines at work in this film. April must prove to her family that her life's choices were right for her and her T-Giving meal is an effective metaphor for this. April does her best to recreate past T-Givings and still give her meal her own special modern touch. Pieces of April may just replace "Alice's Restaurant" as the best movie to watch on T-Giving.

This movie is good, with excellent performances by Patricia Clarkson and Katie Holmes plus a great supporting cast. A family must get together in what may be their last Thanksgiving together before the mother subcumbs to cancer. The eldest daughter is cooking the Thanksgiving turkey but her oven is not working. Now she must rely on the help of strangers to get the Thanksgiving turkey ready in time. Some parts of the movie don't quite work (how many quirky neighbors does the apartment need?). Sean Hayes, for example, looks like he came from another more broadly comedic movie. I would like to have seen more of the whole family together rather than them apart. The movie, however, recovers from its problems at the end. This is a movie that is about how families can get away from the past and move forward. 6/10

Pieces of April (2003) Katie Holmes, Patricia Clarkson, Oliver Platt, Derek Luke, Sean Hayes, Alison Pill, D: Peter Hedges. Uneven, but refreshing, seriocomedy, shot on digital video, about a rebellious, indifferent black sheep (Holmes) preparing a Thanksgiving dinner for her estranged family in her small Lower East Side apartment. Small-scale film never really takes off with Hedges' intended seriocomic edge, but there are touching moments sprinkled in with the lulls. Thoughtful, nuanced script (by first-time director Hedges) has a solid grip on creating drama and feels nothing less of genuine. Colorful real-life locations in New York and New Jersey; earnest performances all around, and Clarkson's portrayal as the mother diagnosed with cancer was nominated for an Oscar. Running Time: 80 minutes and rated PG-13 for language, sensuality, drug content, and images of nudity. ** ½

I watched this the other day out of pure curiosity and I VERY much enjoyed it. It's touching and comedic at the same time. I highly recommend it to anyone! The way it was filmed also intrigued me. It didn't have that expensive high budget movie feel and it made it all that better. All the different personalities in the family represented in the film are very enjoyable and you might even find yourself identifying with them or with other members in your OWN family. I enjoyed the way the story was told and the way you find yourself cheering for April to get everything to turn out okay. The best part about it was the ending in my opinion. A total surprise but VERY enjoyable!

Peter Hedges takes the old sitcom standby of a daughter trying to cook a special dinner for her family and uses it brilliantly as the backbone to a story examining the real nature of love and friendship. April is a twenty-one year-old white girl from a middle-class background who is estranged from her family and has a love-hate relationship with her ultra-critical mother (more hate-love in fact). When she invites the whole family to a thanksgiving meal she neglects to tell them that she lives in a run-down apartment building, she can't cook and that she has a live-in boyfriend who happens to be a black guy. To make matters worse her stove breaks down and she is forced to rely on the kindness of strangers to get the meal ready in time. This is a beautifully judged mix of wry comedy and understated sentimentality which reminded me of the work of the fine British screenwriter Jack Rosenthal. I sat enchanted from start to finish.

I saw this film as part of the London Film Festival and was very impressed with it. Not having seen Dawson's Creek I could watch Katie Holmes performance without any preconceptions and I thought she was marvellous, as was the excellent Patrica Clarkson. This film works very well because it was made on a low budget and the writer/director manages to get the most out of both his cast and the location. I would recommend everyone who is a little fed up with Hollywood multi million dollar special effect films to go and see this when it opens, and take all your friends with you... you will not be disappointed

i liked it. it was very loose in the starting, but then the parts when the family was complaining over April and her father was defending her was really tragic, and when it switched back to April's apartment, and how hard she was trying to make the Thanksgiving dinner as best as she possibly could made the transition really deep and meaningful. The final scene where they all had dinner and different shots were lined up all together of bonding between April, her family, and the Chinese family was sweet and beautiful. The whole movie was nicely made, heartwarming and, as i said, sweet. I loved it a lot. =)

Not impressive.. very dull and meaningless movie... Acting is horrible and storyline is not good

How many times has the American Thanksgiving dinner been done? You'd think that it would be pretty hard to do it again, to make it interesting, or to make it very good. Peter Hedges scores with writing and direction credits. Hard to believe, but Pieces is as good as his previous coup, Gilbert Grape. Hedges handles some pretty heavy themes - family social and generation stress, disease, multi-culturalism, and strained attempts at reconciliation - with hilarity and grace. This is a very funny film. The considerable cast plays some very diverse characters and it is great. Very even casting and acting, right across the board. Katie Holmes proves that she has made the transition to adult actress, a professional with facility and staying power.