It's the kind of vaguely pro-feminist stuff that Ryder seemed to associate herself with at the time (Check the re-interpretation of "Little Women" also.) and it certainly isn't a movie you'd be embarrassed to show your daughters.

Ryder plays a woman debating her impending marriage, and learning from a patch-work of different women (Some good character acting all round) what it is to be, um, a woman, I suppose.

While there's nothing much wrong with any of the performances, for me the film didn't add up to very much (Indeed, not more than a patchwork) and I think it's only for the die-hard Winona fans... if there are such people in the world.

"For this particular quilt the theme is: where love resides"
Review date: 2002-08-06 Rating: 6 out of 10

How to Make an American Quilt is a nice comfortable movie, and unlike so many other films belonging to the 'coming of age' genre, it doesn't leave the viewer feeling emotionally drained. It is also unusual in that it attempts to breach the generation divide in its appeal; however its success in this respect is debatable.
Finn is 26 and, hoping for some peace and quiet in which to complete her Master's thesis, she heads for her great-aunt's house in small-town Grasse, California. She also needs time to mull over a marriage proposal from her boyfriend. This is an entrance cue for a smoulderingly handsome strawberry farmer (in an unnecessary plot complication) to hinder Finn's contemplations.
Great-aunt Glady-Joe lives with her sister, Hy, and their constant bickering is portrayed with sensitivity and humour by Anne Bancroft and Ellen Burstyn. The two sisters belong to a quilting group, who are in the process of creating Finn's wedding quilt - thematically titled 'where love resides'. This evokes something different for each of the women, all of whom - in artificially contrived tete-a-tetes - explain to Finn the story behind their contributions to the quilt. The viewer is transported to a time when these elderly women were young, and through them we (along with Finn) learn that times may change, but affairs of the heart will always be unpredictable.
These dalliances in the past are refreshingly piquant; unfortunately this is countered by the film's occasional heavy-handedness. The symbolic crow that leads the women to their true love has all the subtlety of a flashing neon sign. Ultimately however, even if it does perhaps tie up the loose ends too thoroughly, the film will leave the viewer pleasantly satisfied.

A group of women in America: Their lives and loves
Review date: 2001-04-29 Rating: 10 out of 10

Perhaps one of the hardest things to accept about life is that we have to learn to live with imperfections..... In a brilliantly honest, compelling and reflective way, this film manages to express this idea completely, yet, strangely, evoking in the audience a desire to strive for something better.

Beautiful and inspiring; I watched this film at a particular time when I felt I could have been each of the characters in some way...it affected me as much as to make me act on my impulse and change parts of my life. I would recommend this to anyone who has no illusions about love and who is moved by the idea of reflecting on life.

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