Posted: 10/18/1999

Cookie’s Fortune

(1999)

by Philip Bender

Welcome to Holly Springs… home of murder, mayhem and catfish enchiladas.

Altman’s latest is a real gem.

If you’re in the mood for some dark antebellum fun, check out the recent video release of

Robert Altman’s film. With a cast of notable actors playing some very quirky characters, you?re likely to wonder whether you’re catching a repeat viewing of “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte.”

Led by veteran actress Patricia Neal, who plays Cookie, an aged and rather potty Southern lady with a screwed-up family and a heart of gold, we quickly find that our own family may not be as bad as we may have previously believed.

Cookie is the matriarch of a dysfunctional band that includes Glenn Close as her status-seeking niece Camille, who attempts to keep the family respectable in spite of their poor choices in lifestyle. She reminds us of Mama Rose from “Gypsy,” as she tries to turn a local church play into a literary and critical success. Her sister Cora, played by Julianne Moore, is the very un-thespian female lead in the play and a meek and naïve Ophelia to Camille’s Lady Macbeth personality.

Liv Tyler plays Cora’s rebellious, tattooed and vagrant daughter, who is more than content to spend her life delivering catfish (to Aunt Camille’s eternal distaste) in a barely viable pickup truck which is used to consistently bedevil the local police by parking everywhere but on the street. Her romantic foil at the catfish gutting stand is a quirky and moody Lyle Lovett, who fails to successfully woo her as they gut the day’s catch.

When Cookie meets an untimely death, a murder investigation unfolds and the prime suspect is Cookie’s handyman and best friend Willis, played extremely well by Charles Dutton. Dutton presents a beautiful performance of a man who is just trying to get through life as best he can. His character is genuine and believable - just the type of guy you’d want helping you get through life’s golden years.

The local constabulary begins an investigation ala the Andy Griffith method. The sheriff refuses to believe that the prime suspect could possibly have done the deed, while his deputy, Chris O’Donnell, turns in a splendidly comic performance in the manner of a horny Barney Fife.

As the investigation ensues, the whole movie takes on a slapstick kind of fun, complete with family intrigues, Keystone Kops, and multiple misdirections.

Cookie’s Fortune is a fun and mischievous film that provides a refreshing departure from no-brainer comedies. If you can overlook the fact that Glenn Close slips her Sunset Boulevard character jarringly into the end of the film, Cookie’s Fortune is flawless and very good luck to bring home.

Philip Bender is a marketing and PR consultant in the Bay Area, and a full-time critic of foul hairstyles everywhere.

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