April Burns (Katie Holmes) lives in a New York City apartment with her boyfriend Bobby (Derek Luke), and the film opens as the two begin to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for the rest of April's family, which is driving in from out of town for the ordeal.

Joy Burns (Patricia Clarkson) is dying of the metastatic cancer that has already cost her both her breasts, a surgical transformation suitably documented in the family photo album. She expects this Thanksgiving to be a disaster since daughter April was a more into drugs than Home Ec. Indeed, to say she and April are estranged is an understatement. But husband Jim (Oliver Platt) persuades her, so off they go in the station wagon with their other children, daughter Beth (Alison Pill) and son Timmy (John Gallagher), and Joy's senile mother Dottie (Alice Drummond) for what may well be Joy's last Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, as Bobby goes out on a mysterious errand, April is faced with a non-functional oven, which forces her to desperately beg the other tenants in the building for the necessary range time to cook the traditional bird. Time is running short, and the rest of the clan is getting closer despite frequent stops for Joy to vomit from the nausea induced by her chemotherapy. And it also appears that the family doesn't know that April lives in a decrepit tenement in a graffiti-decorated slum, nor that Bobby is Black. The Burns festive occasion promises to make your dysfunctional Turkey Day look like a Martha Stewart showcase event in comparison.

Clarkson was deservedly nominated for, but didn't receive, an Oscar for this performance in a supporting role. She's more the "star" of PIECES OF APRIL than the ostensible lead, Holmes. The Bobby, Beth and Timmy characters are almost an unnecessary distraction. More interesting are April's neighbors which give her help, or not, especially the very strange Wayne (Sean Hayes) and the middle-age Afro-American couple, Evette (Lillias White) and Eugene (Isiah Whitlock). There's an especially good scene involving Evette's initial reaction to April when the latter first appears seeking help for her culinary crisis.

The movie's abrupt conclusion after eighty-one minutes leaves much to be desired. One wonders if the scriptwriter ran out of ideas or the producers out of money. But there's still enough there to make the film more than worth the cost of the rental. And, next Thanksgiving with the relatives, perhaps you won't take those mashed potatoes for granted.

Simply Beautiful
Review date: 2004-05-24 Rating: 10 out of 10

'Pieces if April' is the story of a young girl (April) who tries to stage a thanksgiving dinner for a family she doesn't aet along with anymore; in an attempt to make piece during what may be April's mother's last thanksgiving. However, things start to go wrong when her oven doesn't work, and the situation doesn't get any better as April must rely on the charity of her neighbours to prepare the feast she has planned...
I bought this film on a whim after seeing a review of it on the television and was absolutely blown away by it; everything, from the plot to the performances, is absolutely perfect.
Told, for the most part, as two seperate stories; one of April desperately trying to prepare the thanksgiving dinner, the other, her family attempting to get to get to the dinner. The film is often incredibly funny then subsequently heart-wrenchingly moving; as soon as the credits roll you will be wanting to call everyone close to you and tell them how much you love them. The cast are also superb; Holmes makes a welcome change in character post-Dawsons creek as the rebellious April, and Patricia Clarkson is fantastic as the terminally-ill Joy Burns, Aprils mother, her character's dry wit (and Clarkson's ability to pull this humour off) will have you both laughing and crying at the same time.
Put simply this film is superb, buy it Now!!!

Product Details/Specifications