Rotten
Longer on calculating sourness than on psychologically organic wit.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Pieces of April
She's the one in every family.
2003 · 1h 21m · PG-13
Comedy, Drama
Directed by
Peter Hedges
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Pieces of April
Overview
Quirky and rebellious April Burns lives with her boyfriend in a low-rent New York City apartment miles away from her emotionally distant family. But when she discovers that her mother has a fatal form of breast cancer, she invites the clan to her place for Thanksgiving. While her father struggles to drive her family into the city, April -- an inexperienced cook -- runs into kitchen trouble and must ask a neighbor for help.
Director and cast
- Peter Hedges Director
- Katie Holmes as April Burns
- Derek Luke as Bobby
- Patricia Clarkson as Joy Burns
- Oliver Platt as Jim Burns
- Alison Pill as Beth Burns
- John Gallagher Jr. as Timmy Burns
- Alice Drummond as Grandma Dottie
- Lillias White as Evette
- Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Eugene
- Vitali Baganov as Half Asleep Man
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
83%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Laughter and poignancy go hand in hand in this DV debut whose comedy that may be standard, but never ceases to deliver sharp, dark laughs.
Derek Adams, Time Out
Fresh
Pieces of April is built around the tired premise of a dysfunctional family's Thanksgiving get-together, but -- surprise -- it's fresh.
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine/Vulture
Fresh
It's in the cross-cutting between April's disaster-prone preparations and her family's turbulent journey that Hedges's movie finds its lively and likeable rhythm.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Fresh
This is one of those quietly wonderful films that really deserves an audience.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
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