Cookie's Fortune (1999)
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Duration: 118 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Robert Altman
Stars: Charles S. Dutton, Glenn Close and Liv Tyler
IMDb score:
6,8 (14.334)
Releasedate: 24 March 1999
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Cookie's Fortune plot
"Welcome to Holly Springs... home of murder, mayhem and catfish enchiladas."
Jewel Mae 'Cookie' Orcutt, an eccentric widow, lives in a stately home in Holly Springs. Afraid of all the rules, she shares the house with Willis Richland, a amiable middle-aged Negro. Her two cousins Camille Dixon, a domineering know-it-all with a passion for theater and Cora Duvall, a docile type, live nearby. Camille and Cookie are constantly at odds over Cookie's indifference to her social status. Emma Duvall, the daughter of Cora with whom Cookie has a good relationship, has also moved back to Holly Springs. All the colorful village characters are invited by Camille to participate in the local Easter game. This time it's an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Salome. When Camille visits Cookie the day before the premiere to claim a controversial fruit bowl, she makes a horrifying discovery: Cookie is dead. The local police, supplemented by two outside murder experts, start an investigation. Slowly the riddle of Cookie's fortune is unraveled.
Actors and actresses
Camille Dixon
Cora Duvall
Emma Duvall
Jewel Mae 'Cookie' Orcutt
Jason Brown
Willis Richland
Lester Boyle
Otis Tucker
Jack Palmer
Billy Cox
Reviews & comments
mister blonde
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- 12735 messages
- 5914 votes
The movie had some trouble getting started. The comedic aspect didn't really come to the fore in the first half hour either. From the moment of the suicide it gets really fun. All the scenes with Close (just moving into the house which is a crime scene), the prison scenes and the investigation were really great fun. Plot was also quite predictable, but that hardly bothered. Not sure what to give this one (3.5 stars or 4 stars), but since it's a bit underrated I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. Altman continues to rise as director of choice.
Translated from Dutch · View original
K. V.
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- 4406 messages
- 3801 votes
Tried this one without really knowing what to expect. Not really bad, not really good either. In terms of comedy, I expected a bit more, it was more like a feature film. The cast wasn't bad, but not really memorable (despite the many big names), just like the movie actually. Nice to have seen, but certainly not a must-see.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Collins
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- 7452 messages
- 4430 votes
Fine director, that Robert Altman. His films touched many genres and his films usually contain an abrupt, shocking or radical turn that is supported by satire and humour. Cookie's Fortune appears after the Short Cuts episode film. A satirical film set in the sultry south of the United States. The atmosphere of the film is described very precisely in the tagline. It reads as follows: “Welcome to Holly Springs…home of murder, mayhem and catfish enchiladas”. A town where the word excitement has yet to be invented. Delicious right?
Cookie's Fortune is a fine ensemble film. A film that looks at human weaknesses with humor. A film that moves from one character to the next in a leisurely rhythm. Striking characters who meet each other, dance around each other, like each other or not. The film pleasantly takes you into the everyday life of a number of residents of the town. Residents who do not experience earth-shattering experiences, but simply have their little moving, annoying and enchanting moments. The renowned cast, with names such as Glenn Close, Ned Beatty and Charles S. Dutton, knows what to do with it.
Cookie's Fortune describes a slow-moving world in which you can spend a few days comfortably. In the background you can hear wonderful blues that confirm the simple life and the unhurried rhythm of life. The film persists in its simple design until the end and introduces you to real people who may behave a bit more extreme than usual after a shocking event, but barely adjust their pace and remain themselves. They are still loving, understanding, malicious, or selfish. Just maybe a little more intense than before.
And luckily you can also see at the end of the film that there is still little excitement there in the town of Holly Springs in the southern United States. And right they are!
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