Rating: 
Summary: Another Altman Ensemble Wins!
Review: If you don't like Robert Altman, read no further... Why do you think Altman has the respect that he has? No one today can handle an ensemble cast of pros and make each one look like a star. Who else could've gotten old-pro Patricia Neal out of retirement? If you don't like Altman, you're obviously missing something that the rest of us already know...he's smart! It's no secret that Mr. Altman hates pretense. "MASH", "The Player", "Gosford Park", "Nashville" and on & on...the man has fun poking fun at phonies. "Cookie's Fortune" is no different. Almost exclusively working with original screenplays, he can play his game and say his piece. Anne Rapp's screenplay must've put him in director heaven. Glenn Close is pretty much the centerpiece here, a woman sure of her position and unwilling to bend. She's marvelous and totally unlikeable. The great Ms. Neal is on screen, alas, too short a time. Like an older version of her Oscar-winning role in "Hud", she's tougher than nails, and wonderful. Julianne Moore ditches the glamour, appearing mostly without make-up, belying her well-known beauty. Charles S. Dutton is customarily confident and endearing, as are Liv Tyler & Chris O'Donnell (though a previous reviewer didn't think so). Altman likes using Lyle Lovett, and he's reliable here in a small role. Ned Beatty and, especially, the great Courtney B. Vance fill out the big name cast effectively. Like all Altman films, one must pay attention to the script, because, though leisurely paced, the dialogue flies by. To reiterate the plot would be senseless, but one of my favorite lines was, in reference to the crime scene, they said Close's character has "negative blood"; when Beatty is asked why he's so sure Dutton didn't do it, he, matter-of-factly says "I fish with him!". (This is almost a running gag...I love running gags). Again, I must say, Altman is wonderful when he works with dozens of people at once, because he gives each one a distinct character and motivation, not to take away from the screenwriter, though Altman is also known for improv. "Cookie's Fortune" is subtly funny and endearing; the craziness of human nature is given full reign. This film was recognized by the Independent Film Awards, but the Academy somehow overlooked it, released too early in the year. (Most of those old geezers don't think that far back...) Glenn Close was deserving of a nomination, as was Altman. Attention to detail is an Altman trait, too, and he doesn't disappoint. Check it out...but, as a previous reviewer also said, if you like fake effects and unbelievable stupid plots populated with idiot super-heroes, pass on this one. All "Cookie's Fortune" offers is a clever character-driven script, very fine acting, GREAT direction and a lot of fun.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Characters
Review: Looking for action & adventure? You won't find it here. But that's just fine with me. So many movies try to dazzle you with special effects and head-spinning chase scenes. I truly enjoy a good story from a movie. "Cookie's Fortune" is a good story with interestingly quirky characters. Charles Dutton is outstanding as the good guy. After the movie was over, I found myself wanting to know more about the history of these characters. Some folks felt this movie was insulting to Southerners, but I felt that this story & these characters could have happened in any small town in America. It's not everyone's cup-of-tea, but if you like a good story and some quirky characters ... you should enjoy "Cookie's Fortune."
Rating:
Summary: Altman gleefully takes on Southern Gothic
Review: There seems to be only two legendary directors that most actors are dying to work with. One is Woody Allen. The other is Robert Altman, who made Cookie's Fortune. Both men's careers have run along parallel lines. Each enjoyed huge commercial success from the late 1960s through the 1970s [Altman directed M.A.S.H. and Nashville], after which both went out of fashion. In the late 1980s, they regained some, but not all, of their former glory. Allen sticks to the neurosis of New Yorkers, while Altman prefers to show the madness and eccentricities of people in many different regions. In Cookie's Fortune, he gives us a loving look at the rather unique behavior of some Southern characters. It is nearly Easter in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Camille Orcutt [Glenn Close] is directing the annual Easter play at a local church. Her sister, Cora Duvall [Julianne Moore], has the lead role in it. Meanwhile, Cora's daughter, Emma [Liv Tyler], is back in town. She is living in the back of a van and working at the local fish market. Her old flame, Jason [Chris O'Donnell], has become a town policeman and soon finds out she has returned. Lester Boyle [Ned Beatty], a much older cop, goes fishing at every opportunity. Willy Richland [Charles Dutton] cheerfully goes about his business of taking care of the elderly Jewel Mae "Cookie" Orcutt [Patricia Neal], who is Camille and Cora's aunt. Life goes on apace in Holly Springs until the afternoon of Good Friday, when Camille goes over to Cookie's and finds her dead of a gunshot wound. It looks like sweet, harmless old Cookie may have been murdered. The discovery sets in motion the charming comedy that is Cookie's Fortune, the best movie about the South so far this year. I think the reason so many performers like to work with Altman is that he, by his own admission, trusts their instincts as actors. He doesn't dictate to them. This method does not work for less secure directors, but for Altman, it creates some of the best work we can hope to see. So strong is the acting in this film that we tend not to notice some parts of the story that don't work very well. Charles Dutton and Julianne Moore are especially strong. It is always a treat to see Pat Neal, who would have dominated the picture, if her character hadn't been bumped off a third of the way through. [For young viewers, Neal was a great film star, whose career reached its peak in Hud with Paul Newman in 1963. A couple of years later, she suffered a series of devastating strokes and had to learn how to talk and to walk all over again.] Altman gently but firmly shows is some of the ways of true Southerners - the need to put appearances over truth, the love of the theatrical, the willingness to bend the rules when it comes to being neighborly. Best of all, we see how that Old South graciousness is often a mask for all sorts of devious tricks. Everyone is wise to these, but often falls for them nonetheless. I have often thought that these methods were refined back in the dreadful days following the Civil War - a way of getting things done under the eyes of unruly and unrefined Yankees! Altman is far less satirical here than usual here, and this decision may have lessened the impact of the movie. Still, it's a great treat for those who like their humor dry and their characters rich.
Rating: 
Summary: Southern stereotypes, anyone?
Review: If i were from the South, i'd be tremendously angry at yet another movie portraying Southerners as a collection of eccentric, dim-witted, or eccentric-dim-witted people. What's with the stereotype? Charles Dutton is the only character close to being real and lovable. Everyone else's performance is way over the top, especially Glenn Close, doing an encore of her role as Cruella DeVille in "101 Dalmatians". The love story between Liv Tyler and Chris O'Donnell is totally unnecesary, and Julianne Moore's character is pathetic. The funniest scene is when Donald Moffat explains the linguistic origin of the word "Awe" during a game of Scrabble, and that only lasts some 15 seconds (not enough to save the whole fiasco). The rest of the movie is a total waste of time.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing Shocking...
Review: A warm, well acted and well directed movie but nothing much happens unfortunately. Robert Altman's character sketches are quite extreme but still this makes a pretty amazing taste to the movie. The entire cast does a really good work but it's Julianne Moore who really shines through all of these gifted actresses and actors... It will probably feed Robert Altman fans but this is not really a must-see movie...
Rating:
Summary: Cookies Fortune
Review: I loved this movie! This film was full of unexpected surprise's and alot of laughts! Glen Close does a wonderful job in this film, as well as Julianne Moore, Liv, and Robert Altman! Makes one want to move to some small town in Missouri just to live this "crazy" experience! It's a keeper!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Wonderful movie.....
Review: Grab your nachos...snuggle up on the couch...cause you are in for a pleasantly great film. I love the fact that this movie was set in the south..and it was just so enjoyably funny. I am trying to think of one word that could describe this movie...and I can only think of 2: Warm & Funny If you like this movie you would like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Rating: 
Summary: This Cookie Crumbles
Review: This is defintiely not one of Altman's best. I don't think it would even make it to his so-so list either. Gone is the bite of The Player or Mash. Gone are believable emotions like in Short Cuts or Nashville. Someone allowed Glenn Close to go far too close over the top and I was very disappointment with Julianne Moore's performance. Chales Dutton was very likeable (but, then he always is). I think the only thing I did get a kick out of was seeing Patricia Neal on the screen. This is not a good film. And I am a proud Altman fan.
Rating:
Summary: Worth Your Attention
Review: If you want to speak intelligibly about literary fiction from the New South but don't want to go to the trouble of reading it (though you should), watch Cookie's Fortune. It is a quirky, entertaining comedy that explores a setting, themes and characters familiar to the contemporary southern tradition. The anachronistic emphasis on blood ties and legacy is given a funny work-out with Glenn Close leading a fine ensemble cast. Close's character has a headstrong sense of entitlement that is more than anyone can handle, including herself. There is some mystery and suspense balled up in this story that owing to its southern tradition is less frenetic than, say, an urban comedy, but is no less compelling.
Rating:
Summary: Altman's Ensemble Is Top Notch
Review: Robert Altman has done it again. With a terrific ensemble of wonderful actors headed by Glenn Close, Julianne Moore, Charles S. Dutton, Liv Tyler and Patricia Neal he has crafted "Cookie's Fortune," a dark comedy brimming with laughs and plenty of heart as written by the talented Anne Rapp. When local matriarch "Cookie" (Neal) commits suicide, her image-obsessed niece, Camille (Close), rearranges the scene of the "crime" to resemble a robbery/murder so that the stigma of suicide won't mar the family's good name. Camille talks her kind but simple sister, Cora (Moore, in a beautiful performance), into going along with the ruse despite the fact that Cookie's dear friend and handyman (Dutton) is charged with a crime he didn't commit. Ned Beatty, Courtney B. Vance, Liv Tyler and Chris O'Donnell round out the ensemble. For those of you looking for a quirky, well made film, check this one out, you won't be disappointed.
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