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Plot

Robert Altman directed this bittersweet ensemble piece about an eccentric and entangled group of family and friends living in the Deep South. Jewel Mae "Cookie" Orcutt (Patricia Neal) is the widowed matriarch of a small-town Mississippi family, which includes her nieces Camille (Glenn Close), a pretentious would-be artist staging an amateur production of Salome at a local church, and Cora Julianne Moore), her less than enthusiastic leading lady. Willis (Charles S. Dutton), the caretaker of Cookie's rambling mansion, tries to persuade her sweet but aimless grand-niece, Emma (Liv Tyler), to move in with her, but she's more interested in her on-again, off-again romance with local cop Jason (Chris O'Donnell). Typical of Altman's work, Cookie's Fortune weaves together a number of different plot lines with relaxed grace, and features an impressive cast, including Ned Beatty, Lyle Lovett, and Courtney B. Vance.
MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for the depiction of a violent act, and for sensuality.
Genre(s):
Comedy
Run Time:
118min.
Theatrical Release Date:
04/02/1999
DVD Release Date:
11/16/1999
Distributor(s):
October
Director(s):
Robert Altman
Starring:
Glenn Close , Julianne Moore , Liv Tyler , Chris O'Donnell , Charles S. Dutton
Themes:
Race Relations,Saintly Fools,Small-Town Life,Estrangement,Miscarriage of Justice,Eccentric Families
Tone:
Affectionate,Summery,Witty,Easygoing,Quirky
Keywords:
Southerner,cover-up,family,fortune [wealth],inheritance,investigation,suicide
Language:
English