April's cranberry sauce may be canned but the laughter and tears of an affecting, unsentimental coda are real.
Comment
11/24/08
Pieces of April (2003)
85
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:143
Fresh:121
Rotten:22
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: A delightful, heartfelt comedy.
Runtime: 80 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Katie Holmes is outstanding as the title character in Peter Hedges's PIECES OF APRIL. Holmes stars as April Burns, the black sheep of her family who has left suburbia for a Lower East Side... [More]
Starring: Katie Holmes, Patricia Clarkson, Oliver Platt, Sean Hayes
Director: Peter Hedges
Reviews for Pieces of April
Top CriticLaughter and poignancy go hand in hand in this DV debut whose comedy that may be standard, but never ceases to deliver sharp, dark laughs.
06/24/06
Top CriticSuperb performances and a decent script ensure this stays well above average.
10/26/03
A shining example of just how compelling and affecting low-budget filmmaking can be when you’ve got a good story and strong cast.
04/01/06
Top Critic[Director Peter] Hedges keeps it laceratingly real, with bulls-eye performances from talented actors who are all used to much bigger budgets.
09/25/03
A collection of indie clichés, it's about as refreshing as being slapped in the face by a five-week-old kipper.
02/13/04
Top CriticQuite a piece of work.
10/17/03
Top CriticNo review available.
03/16/04
Top CriticThe movie is brimming with life. The story is moving to the point where it's hard not to shed a tear.
10/22/03
[Hedges] plays our emotions like a virtuoso, mixing farce with tragedy with equal assurance and wisely eschewing words when silence can be more effective
10/04/03
Pieces of April belongs, wholly and completely, to Clarkson, who delivers Joy's mordant asides and withering observations with a flawless balance of tartness and vulnerability.
10/24/03
Utterly charming from its opening scene and touching to the end.
05/07/03
Intelligent, painful, and ultimately very moving.
03/16/04
It looks like what it is: a movie shot quickly, with digital cameras and on the cheap, but with enough talent on screen to keep the audience engaged.
11/06/03
April's attempts at cooking provide most of the laughs, and watching her trying to mash raw potatoes is worth the price of admission alone.
11/14/03
While director Hedges deserves high praise, the film's true blessing is the combination of Clarkson and Holmes.
11/19/03
The film grows on you, thanks to strong characters and the shrewd observational humor of writer-director Peter Hedges.
10/31/03
Avoids sentimentality at every turn and truly earns both its laughs and its tears.
10/24/03
This is such a wonderful film - you'll want seconds!
10/31/03
Few films manage to be this light and hopeful without being drop-dead dumb.
10/30/03
Latest News for Pieces of April
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This week at the movies, we've got the return of Jigsaw ("Saw III," starring Tobin Bell), a tale of rebellion in apartheid-era South Africa ("Catch a Fire,"... More...
November 24, 2005:
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September 15, 2005:
That Crazy Carell Lands Yet Another New Gig
According to Variety, the suddenly VERY busy "40 Year-Old Virgin" Steve Carell has signed with Disney to star in Peter Hedges' comedy "Dan in Real Life,"... More...
January 13, 2005:
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