Plot

This family drama by actress and first-time director Anne DeSalvo centers around four adult sisters who are forced to re-evaluate their situations after tragedy strikes. The oldest of the clan, Grace (Mercedes Ruehl), is called upon to be the tower of strength, even though she is widely perceived to be a replica of their mother Dolly (Cloris Leachman), a woman who, like Grace, has unfailingly devoted much of her life to a husband who doesn't appreciate her as he should. Christine (Sean Young) is separated from her job-obsessed husband Paul (Jamey Sheridan), and contemplates divorcing him even though they have a young daughter. Another sister, Denise (Dinah Manoff), rejects the idea of marriage despite the advances of boyfriend Lawrence (Mark Harmon); youngest sister Dolores (Lily Knight) has become mentally challenged due to an accident, and has trouble relating to her older siblings. Dolores has found a romantic interest, but the family feels she is unable to cope with such an attachment at her age. Through the aid of Dolly's sisters Splendora (Lee Grant) and Loretta (Edith Fields), the family tries to retain its bond and deal with unexpected tragedy. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Review

The Amati Girls is the kind of low-level female empowerment flick in which the only surprise is which character will unexpectedly die by the end. Even this would not be a mystery if there weren't so many characters to choose from. Each of the four sisters has traveled a different road to arrive at her own variation on the modern female condition, and in case this isn't obvious, there's an argument halfway through that spells it out in the most unambiguous language imaginable. If these elements weren't already familiar enough, the family is "movie Italian," which means they argue about Frank Sinatra over heaping bowls of pasta and invoke the names of countless Catholic saints. Despite all this, The Amati Girls is pretty inoffensive stuff that will probably feel good to devotees of safe TV programming like Touched by an Angel and the Lifetime movie of the week. Anne de Salvo is nothing if not efficient, advancing the narrative in each scene and getting comfortable performances from all the actors. Her film even occasionally strays from the beaten path in its dealings with Lily Knight's mentally retarded sister. If the biggest complaint one can mount about a movie is that it is utterly conventional, things could be a lot worse. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast

• Mercedes Ruehl - Grace
• Paul Sorvino - Joe
• Cloris Leachman - Dolly
• Sean Young - Christine
• Dinah Manoff - Denise

Lily Knight - Dolores; Lee Grant - Aunt Splendora; Mark Harmon - Lawrence; Jamey Sheridan - Paul; Marissa Leigh - Laura; Doug Spinuzza - Armand; Sam McMurray - Brian; Edith Fields - Aunt Loretta; Joe V. Greco - Uncle Frankie; Robert Picardo - Grace's Doctor

Credit

Renee Davenport - Art Director, Mary Jo Slater - Casting, Jean Scoccimarro - Casting, Steven Hollanbeck - Casting, Joe Malone - Choreography, Dan Stone - Co-producer, Amy Stofsky - Costume Designer, David Schrager - First Assistant Director, Anne de Salvo - Director, C. Timothy O'Meara - Editor, David L. Bertman - Editor, Howard Kazanjian - Executive Producer, Craig C. Darian - Executive Producer, Conrad Pope - Composer (Music Score), Jane Ann Stewart - Production Designer, Frank Byers - Cinematographer, Jim Alex - Producer, Steven C. Johnson - Producer, Don Johnson - Sound Mixer, Emile Razpopov - Sound/Sound Designer, Xavier Sol - Sound Editor, Brent Winter - Sound Editor, Steven Hollanbeck - Sound Editor, Kwan Soo Lee - Sound Editor, Anne de Salvo - Screenwriter, Steven C. Johnson - Second Unit Camera, Kate Sanner - Set Decorator

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