Plot
A young woman at a crossroads in her life finds herself receiving plenty of advice from her older and wiser counterparts in this drama. Finn Dodd (Winona Ryder) is a graduate student trying to finish up her doctoral thesis on women's folk art while deciding if she should marry her fiancé Sam (Dermot Mulroney); she's not sure if she's ready to settle down, and suspects that Sam is unfaithful to her. Needing time to sort things out, Finn chooses to spend the summer with her grandmother Hy (Ellen Burstyn) and great aunt Gladys Jo (Anne Bancroft). Hy and Gladys Jo are avid quilters, and with a group of their friends, they work on a special quilt for Finn's wedding; as the women work together, they share stories of their lives, and Finn finds herself learning as much from hearing them talk as she does from her schoolwork. Finn also receives a visit from her free-spirited mom Sally (Kate Capshaw) and finds herself infatuated with a good looking young man who lives nearby. Maya Angelou plays one of the quilters, as do Kate Nelligan, Jean Simmons, and Alfre Woodard. How to Make an American Quilt was the directorial debut of Jocelyn Moorhouse, and was based on a novel by Whitney Otto that itself began as a doctoral thesis. ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
How to Make an American Quilt is a pleasing, sisters-through-the-generations tableau that, not surprisingly, weaves together stories like panels on the titular fabric. Perhaps too obvious in its metaphors and methods, the film executes them well enough to make it a fond celebration of womanhood. Although the variety of grand dames who take their place around the quilt (Maya Angelou, Ellen Burstyn, Anne Bancroft, Alfre Woodard) would seem to serve as mother figures to Winona Ryder's Finn Dodd, the experiences they recount assume more of a sisterly quality, getting at the universality of the female condition. That said, it's not an exercise in man hating either; there may be more male scoundrels, but both sexes share the blame in the tragic yet simplistic war stories related by the women. The overall outlook is sentimentally optimistic, and the heartland settings look gorgeous through the lens of Steven Spielberg's personal cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski, making for an agreeable if not overly memorable viewing experience. Australian director Jocelyn Moorhouse followed up this first Hollywood movie with another study of mistreated women in America's farm country, A Thousand Acres (1997), but missed the mark while trying to push a more radical agenda. ~ Derek Armstrong, RoviCast
- Winona Ryder - Finn Dodd
- Anne Bancroft - Glady Jo, Finn's great aunt
- Maya Angelou - Anna
- Ellen Burstyn - Hy (Finn's grandmother)
- Kate Nelligan - Constance Saunders, Dean's mistress
- Jean Simmons - Em (artist's wife)
Credit
Ed Verreaux - Art Director, Risa Bramon Garcia - Casting, Mary Vernieu - Casting, Ruth Myers - Co-producer, Patricia Whitcher - Co-producer, Ruth Myers - Costume Designer, Leslie Dilley - First Assistant Director, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan - First Assistant Director, Jocelyn Moorhouse - Director, Jill Bilcock - Editor, Walter Parkes - Executive Producer, Deborah Jelin Newmyer - Executive Producer, Laurie MacDonald - Executive Producer, Thomas Newman - Composer (Music Score), Timothy R. Sexton - Musical Direction/Supervision, Valli O'Reilly - Makeup, Leslie Dilley - Production Designer, Janusz Kaminski - Cinematographer, Lawrence Blanford - Cinematographer, Sarah Pillsbury - Producer, Midge Sanford - Producer, Marvin March - Set Designer, Evelyne Barbier - Set Designer, William J. Law III - Set Designer, Josh Lusby - Set Designer, Martin Becker - Special Effects, Russell Williams II - Sound/Sound Designer, Jane Anderson - Screenwriter, Kevin Bartnof - Foley Artist, Whitney Otto - Book Author| How to Make a Speech (1985 Film), How to Make a Native American Dance Shawl (1997 Film) | |
| How to Marry a Billionaire: A Christmas Tale (2000 Film), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953 Film) |
Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Movie Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.
