"This is such a wonderful film - you'll want seconds!" Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone THEMOVIECHICKS.COM "A near-perfect holiday film about families and imperfection." Tom Long DETROIT NEWS "Utterly charming from its opening scene and touching to the end." Annlee Ellingson BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE "In the end, what makes Pieces of April work is its verité style, the way everything we see feels raw and genuine -- sincere but never saccharine." Robert Wilonsky DALLAS OBSERVER "An especially warm comedy with a hidden heart." Kenneth Turan LOS ANGELES TIMES

"Miraculously, the movie never breaks into a sitcom. It remains a thoughtful, witty and dead-on portrait of a family coming to terms with its identity as one of its members faces death." Collin Souter EFILMCRITIC.COM "A charmer of mild surprises, heartfelt laughs and genuine humanity." Roger Moore ORLANDO SENTINEL "Deftly captures the pressures that accompany holiday gatherings." Rene Rodriguez MIAMI HERALD "One of the funniest family comedies we’ve seen in quite a while." Shirley Sealy FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL "Economically paced and emotionally satisfying, Pieces of April is a good example of what small independent movies can do." Stephen Whitty NEWARK STAR-LEDGER

At A Glance

"The movie is brimming with life. The story is moving to the point where it's hard not to shed a tear." ... Alex Sandell JUICY CEREBELLUM

Just as watching "Pieces of April" is an amazing experience it's just as amazing how the storyline came about and what has been created from an urban tale and a real life family tragedy. Writer, Director Peter Hedges explains. "For a long time, I’d been looking for a story that would throw people of different races and ages together in a believable way. Perhaps it was a failure of my imagination, but “Jury Duty” and “Stuck in an Elevator” were the best premises I managed to think up," he said. "Then I heard about some people in New York City who went to cook their Thanksgiving turkey only to learn the oven didn’t work. So they were forced to go around the apartment building and ask strangers if they could use their ovens to cook the meal. I thought this could be a good jumping off point." In December 1998 he received a phone call from his mother. "She had bad news. She’d been diagnosed with cancer. Over the next fifteen months, while she underwent radiation and chemotherapy, my sister, my brothers and I traveled back and forth to take care of her. During this time, she urged me to keep writing, but it was difficult." Later, while opening files on his office computer, the Thanksgiving story re-surfaced. In his notes he would make an amazing discovery. Not only was the girl April trying to cook a "Thanksgiving meal for her family", he said, "most surprising to me was the reason why: She was attempting to bridge an estranged relationship with her mother who was sick with cancer. The one thing you do feel when someone you love is dying and you can’t stop it, is the loud tick of time. I wanted to make a movie about how we’re running out of time, and how we say, without words, thank you and I’m sorry and goodbye." After years behind the typewriter, Hedges now felt it was time to step behind the camera and host the party himself, making his feature film directorial debut. To that end, he also figured "the best story to tell would be one he wrote." And it would have even more meaning with the recent loss of his mother. So where did that title "Pieces Of April" come from and what about the lead character April? "I was in a record store and heard the Three Dogs Night tune "Pieces of April," Hedges said, adding that "it went deeper than that. There was the notion of April, a month where the weather changes a lot. I knew I wanted a really moody, volatile, spectacular girl that could cry one minute and laugh the next. Embodying a number of qualities in one package, April was born." Katie Holmes took the lead role and openly admits she "knew it was a challenge she wanted to tackle. I was really thrilled with it, the whole script and story," she says. "I was immediately attracted when I read it." And how did she see her character April? "April is stubborn and wants to prove herself and doesn’t want to be told what to do," Holmes said. "But throughout the movie she discovers the importance of family and the importance of being vulnerable, and that it’s okay to love people. It’s a beautiful story." A story made so wonderfully rich by all its characters including that of Joy Burns played by 2004 Academy Award nominee Patricia Clarkson to whom Hedges sent a copy of the script. "I read it," she says, "and I immediately said, ‘I’m in.’ That was my immediate response. It’s just a wonderful part. She’s a very complex and original character, and challenging for many, many reasons," Clarkson notes. "She’s dark and angry and emotional, but also very funny." Clarkson was aware that this was Hedges directing debut but says she "was grateful to have Hedges take the trip with her." Was she expecting something unique from Hedges? "I knew I could rely on Peter to help me," Clarkson says. "He was very specific. That’s what makes first-time directors great, they really have a strong point of view, know the script inside and out, and know the characters. They know what they want." And what about teaming up with Oliver Platt who plays her onscreen husband Jim? "I’ve known Oliver forever," she said, "so I was so happy when he agreed to do this. He was just perfect, just right. In real life, I think any woman would be lucky to be married to him. He is such a good, soulful, vulnerable, funny man." Platt is an actor I love seeing in films. I happen to think that he's "understatedly brilliant, to say the least." He is rock solid as Jim, who appears to be the only family member who wants everything to work out, even if he has reservations. "I see Jim as the one guy in the movie who unequivocally wants it all to happen," says Platt. "He’s just trying to get this car and all the people in it to New York City so they can have this dinner." And the script? "I think it’s a beautiful script. Peter is just a really good writer. The whole texture of the way he writes about families is pretty unusual. It’s very poetic, but it’s very real. He has a real ear for capturing the bizarre, ugly, but ultimately really beautiful rhythm of family life. A rhythm many audiences will identify with." That sums up "Pieces Of April" perfectly for even though the big "C" can be an ugly disease, Hedges had handled it with great care combining Joys plight with a family story that we all hope and pray will end well. Cast & Crew Bytes "Pieces Of April" was directed and written by Peter Hedges ["What’s Eating Gilbert Grape", "A Map of the World", "About A Boy", and "The Devil Wears Prada"], the producers include John S Lyons ["Hard Eight", "Boogie Nights", "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me", "Austin Powers in Goldmember" and "The Opportunists"] and Alexis Alexanian ["Jacob’s Ladder", "Mississippi Burning", "Tape" and "Personal Velocity"]. The executive producers include John Sloss ["Waking Life", "Far From Heaven", "Personal Velocity" and "Tadpole"]. The film was edited by Mark Livolsi ["Vanilla Sky", "Almost Famous", "The Thomas Crown Affair" and "Wall Street"] while music used in the soundtrack was under the direction of music supervisor Linda Cohen ["Pizza", "American Splendor" and "Camp"].
"Pieces Of April" stars Katie Holmes ["Teaching Mrs Tingle", "The Gift", "Go" and "Phone Booth"], Patricia Clarkson ["The Pledge", "Welcome to Collinwood", "The Safety of Objects" and "The Station Agent"], Oliver Platt ["Lake Placid", "Bicentennial Man", "Indecent Proposal" and "Flatliners"], Derek Luke ["Antwone Fisher" and "Biker Boyz"], Alison Pill ["BabY", "Degas and the Dancer" and "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen"], Sean Hayes ["Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss" and TV's "Will & Grace"] and Alice Drummond ["Awakenings", "Funny Farm", "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "Ghostbusters"] as Grandma Dottie. The Story

"A simple and sweet movie that will leave you misty eyed." Don R Lewis FILM THREAT

It's Thanksgiving Day, the day a nation was founded on, a day to build on, a family day. Thanksgiving Day is a day that Alice Burns hopes will be one of reconciliation between her and the family she left behind in suburbia. While Alice grapples with the task of preparing a turkey dinner, her mother Joy, father Jim, brother Bobby and sister Beth travel to the city, stopping to collect Grandma Dottie from the nursing home where she now resides. As they head to New York each expresses their doubts that the day will be a success. All except Dottie that is. But then her memories are dimmed and confused thanks to the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Back in New York, April is in big trouble. Her oven has stopped working. Desperate to show her family she can do at least one thing right, she knocks on neighbours doors hoping someone will provide an oven in which she can finish cooking her turkey. Then, just as she reaches desperation point, when all looks lost, help is provided from an unlikely source. Meanwhile, out on the highway, her families constant negativity towards April is making their journey a difficult one. The Verdict "A delightful, sweet, rich tale of reconciliation and discovering the true worth of ones self. Patricia Clarkson is solid in the role which earned her a nomination at the 2004 Academy Awards. Like a good turkey dinner, "Pieces Of April" will leave you feeling extremely staisfied." The Cast

Katie Holmes Patricia Clarkson Oliver Platt Derek Luke Sean Hayes Alison Pill John Gallagher Jr Alice Drummond Lillias White Isiah Whitlock Jr Sisqó Armando Riesco Vitali Baganov Adrian Martinez Susan Bruce Jamari Richardson Leila Danette Stephen Chen Sally Leung Bayer Marcus Lovett

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

April Burns Joy Burns Jim Burns Bobby Wayne Beth Burns Timmy Burns Grandma Dottie Evette Eugene Latrell Tyrone Half Asleep Man Man in Mohair Sweater Tish Boy on Bicycle Woman in Stairwell Lee Loung Tan Lee Quong Tan Parade Announcer

The Crew Directed & Written by Peter Hedges Produced by Alexis Alexanian/John S Lyons & Gary Winick Original Music by Stephin Merritt Cinematography by Tami Reiker Film Editing by Mark Livolsi Production Design by Rick Butler Art Direction by Shannon Robert Bowen & Aleta Shaffer Costume Design by Laura Bauer Production Manager Lucille Smith Run Time 89 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - MGM/UA - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2004 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages - All Rights Reserved