Roger Ebert as soon as noticed on Robert Altman: “There might not have been a director who appreciated actors extra.” Altman’s 1999 movie “Cookie’s Fortune” exemplifies that, and it’s usually enjoyable to look at how its most important forged members willingly embody the human eccentricities of their colourful characters. Each second within the movie clearly reveals that Altman actually loved spending time together with his forged members, and the result’s just a little however valuable gem stuffed with allure, humor, and that particular Southern environment.
The film is about in a small rural city of Mississippi throughout one Easter week. As this city goes by one other night time, every little thing appears quiet and peaceable, besides the busy rehearsal of an newbie theater manufacturing of Oscar Wilde’s Salome at an area church. In truth, the policemen patrolling across the city are extra occupied with their fishing issues than doing their routine job.
After which we meet Willis Richard (Charles S. Dutton), a Black handyman working for a rich widow named Jewel Mae “Cookie” Orcutt (Patricia Neal). Having lived together with his worker for a few years, he has been just about like her greatest good friend, and we will clearly sense the mutual affection between them when he returns from an area bar. He clumsily makes an attempt to go inside the home with out waking up Cookie, however he solely finally ends up waking her as a substitute. Nonetheless, they’ve some hearty night time discuss whereas he cleans up her useless husband’s weapons, as he promised earlier than.
Nonetheless, on the very subsequent day, Cookie decides to affix her useless husband simply because, effectively, she is reminded once more that she has missed him a lot. Whereas Willis is exterior for a number of different issues in addition to shopping for some groceries, she commits suicide in her bed room. Her useless physique is quickly discovered by her two nieces, Camille (Glenn Shut) and Cora (Julianne Moore), who drop by Cookie’s home simply to borrow a sure valuable glass object, despite the fact that they’ve by no means been that near their aunt. As a haughty woman neurotically fastidious about her household repute, Camille immediately decides to do some cover-up. Cora doesn’t object to this as a dowdy girl who her overbearing sister has all the time dominated.
Due to Camille, Willis later turns into the prime suspect on this “homicide” case, however the film doesn’t hurry itself because it leisurely doles out one absurd second after one other. Sure, the scenario is certainly critical for Willis and several other others who care about him. Nonetheless, Willis is quite phlegmatic about his circumstances. There may be an amusing second when he casually performs Scrabble with not solely his lawyer (He’s the one lawyer within the city, by the way in which) but in addition one of many deputy sheriffs contained in the jail of the police station (“I’ve fished with him,” he says as guaranteeing Willis’ innocence).
And that is only the start of many small, humorous moments to comply with. Fairly assured that she’s going to inherit every little thing from her aunt as her closest kin, Camille rapidly embarks on taking on her aunt’s home. She will not be deterred in any respect, even after getting the sheriff’s warning, and her transient second involving a cookie jar is solely priceless, to say the least. Whereas promptly siding with Willis, Camille’s estranged daughter Emma (Liv Tyler) additionally can not assist however get drawn extra to her ex-boyfriend, who’s now working as a deputy sheriff, and their fixed mutual attraction capabilities as a type of operating gag all through the movie. In case of an unflappable investigator coming into the image later within the story, he usually finds himself getting baffled lots throughout his interrogations of a number of eccentric city residents who supposedly noticed Willis across the time of the “homicide”. We’re all of the extra amused as he appears oblivious to how two sure Black women flirt with him in the course of certainly one of his interrogations.
Even when every little thing within the story is about to be resolved as anticipated, the film continues to take its time as earlier than. Earlier than ultimately heading to its finale, the place just a few hidden private details are revealed to our little shock, the film lingers a bit on Camille’s hilariously painstaking efforts on that newbie theater manufacturing of Salome. Altman’s affection towards his performers is clear right here, as he patiently pays consideration to the small and large particulars of that modest stage efficiency.
Like a lot of Altman’s works, the movie’s most important forged members give a strong ensemble efficiency, bringing life and spirit to their respective elements. Though being a bit too exaggerated at occasions, Glenn Shut delightfully chews each theatrical second of hers as demanded, and he or she is complemented effectively by the comparatively subdued look of Julianne Moore. Whereas Liv Tyler and Chris O’Donnell generate sufficient romantic chemistry between them, Ned Beatty, Donald Moffat, Lyle Lovett, Courtney B. Vance, and Patricia Neal are colourful of their manner, and the particular point out goes to Charles S. Dutton, whose amiable efficiency effortlessly holds the middle round his fellow forged members.
In his evaluation for “A Fish Known as Wanda,” Ebert stated that he loved comedies “the place eccentric folks behave in obsessive and eccentric methods and different, equally eccentric, folks do every little thing they’ll to offend and upset the primary batch.” “Cookie’s Fortune” is unquestionably a first-rate instance, and this small however likable comedy movie is just too good to be merely forgotten as certainly one of Altman’s a number of minor works between “Quick Cuts” (1993) and “Gosford Park” (2001). Though it doesn’t attain the greatness of those two excessive factors in Altman’s filmmaking profession, it’s nonetheless fairly entertaining to look at Altman merely having just a little enjoyable together with his gifted performers, savoring their cheerful Southern consolation.
