Pieces of April (2003)

Regisseur:

Peter Hedges

Drehbuchautor (WGA):

Peter Hedges (written by)

Premierendatum:

19. Februar 2004 (Deutschland)

Genre:

Komödie | Drama

Werbezeile:

She's the one in every family.

Plot:

A wayward daughter invites her dying mother and the rest of her estranged family to her apartment for Thanksgiving dinner.

Plot Keywords:

Dysfunctional | Human Relationship | Family Relationship | Mother Son Relationship | Father Son Relationship

Filmpreise:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 14 wins & 16 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

Very Delightful Thanksgiving Tale

Besetzung

Katie Holmes	...	April Burns
Derek Luke	...	Bobby
Oliver Platt	...	Jim Burns
Alison Pill	...	Beth Burns
John Gallagher Jr.	...	Timmy Burns
Patricia Clarkson	...	Joy Burns
Alice Drummond	...	Grandma Dottie
Vitali Baganov	...	Half Asleep Man
Lillias White	...	Evette
Isiah Whitlock Jr.	...	Eugene
Adrian Martinez	...	Man in Mohair Sweater
Susan Bruce	...	Tish
Jamari Richardson	...	Boy on Bicycle
Leila Danette	...	Woman in Stairwell
Stephen Chen	...	Lee Loung Tan

Alternativ:

Pieces of April - Ein Tag mit April Burns (Österreich) (Deutschland) [de]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, sensuality, drug content and images of nudity.

Länge:

80 Min

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch | Mandarin

Farbe:

Farbe

Seitenverhältnis:

1.85 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Dolby Digital

Altersfreigabe:

Australia:M (cable rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-7 | Germany:6 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (original rating) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Chile:14

Drehorte:

Bear Mountain, New York, USA

Firma:

United Artists

Dies und das:

Although the film is dedicated to Peter Hedges' mother, who died of cancer, the only true aspect he incorporated is the line where Joy talks about the fictional singer "Smack Daddy". The line is almost word for word what Peter's mother told him while in the hospital, the only exception being that she was talking about Barry White.

Pannen:

Abfolgefehler: At the end of the film, when the snapshots are shown of April and her mother hugging, April is wearing a pink sweater. In the very next shot of Joy's face April is not wearing the sweater.

Dialogzitate:

April Burns: I'm the first pancake.
Evette: What do you mean?
Eugene: She's the one you're supposed to throw out.

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Ausschnittsweise enthalten in The 2004 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Epitaph for My Heart

Very Delightful Thanksgiving Tale

In a very poor zone of New York, April Burns (Katie Holmes) and her boyfriend, the Afro-American Bobby (Derek Luke), are preparing to receive April's family for a thanksgiving dinner. While Bobby tries to borrow a suit for him, April realizes that her stove is broken and she tries desperately to find a neighbor that can let her cook the turkey, since she does not want to fail (again) with her family. Meanwhile, in a suburb of Pennsylvania, her dysfunctional family is preparing to travel to New York. While driving in the road, the relationship between the Burns and the black-sheep April is disclosed through the conversations between her father Jim (Oliver Platt), her resented mother Joy (Patricia Clarkson), her brother, her sister and her grandmother.

"Pieces of April" is an enjoyable and very delightful thanksgiving tale. This low budget movie has a very simple story, being sometimes a mean dramatic comedy of errors, but touching deep in the heart of the viewer. The cast is very inspired, highlighting the performances of Katie Holmes and Patricia Clarkson. The parallel way the story is disclosed is magnificent, developing clearly each character, and showing their feelings and resentments. I did not like the character of April's neighbor Wayne (Sean Hayes), since it is not clear if he is a weird or just a stupid man. "Pieces of April" is a gem to be discovered by sensitive viewers. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Do Jeito Que Ela É" ("In the Way She Is")