What raises 'Pieces of April' above its flaws is the emotional investment that Hedges and his cast have made in it.
Comment
11/07/03
Pieces of April (2003)
85
%
Tomatometer
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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
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
“Pieces of April” too easily wraps up the lifelong conflict between Joy and April in the end, but there is a good-natured feel that makes it an amiable little holiday film.
11/06/03
An affectionate holiday movie with a lot of spirit and heart, but one that might have been much better if not for the fact that the visuals almost annihilate the narrative.
11/05/03
Pulls off a nice balancing act between humor and heartbreak.
11/05/03
The predictability factor is as steady as a simmering saute but there's enough spice in the company of lead Katie Holmes to make this a savory meal.
11/02/03
Click to read the article
11/01/03
Top CriticIn the end, what makes Pieces of April work is its verité style, the way everything we see feels raw and genuine -- sincere but never saccharine.
11/01/03
Hedges never gets a bead on April, and Holmes doesn't supply the missing details.
10/31/03
Smart, funny, steadfastly unsentimental.
10/31/03
Hedges brings some refreshing new wrinkles to a familiar plot, and he further spices it up by having the meal in question being prepared by the daughter, not the mother.
10/31/03
With dark-comedy panache that David Sedaris might envy, writer/director Peter Hedges takes us through one Thanksgiving in the life of April Burns.
10/31/03
A charmer of mild surprises, heartfelt laughs and genuine humanity.
10/31/03
Hedges has created something funny, sad, deft and satisfying that resembles life as most of us know it -- not as Hollywood tends to inflate, gild and package it.
10/31/03
Deftly captures the pressures that accompany holiday gatherings.
10/31/03
The film grows on you, thanks to strong characters and the shrewd observational humor of writer-director Peter Hedges.
10/31/03
A near-perfect holiday film about families and imperfection.
10/31/03
While pleasant enough, Pieces is more a sweet snack than a feast.
10/31/03
A movie that goes a long way toward proving that we all really can get along and that it's possible for a director to put a lump in our throats without making us feel like saps.
10/31/03
Too rare pleasure: an honest and sentimental journey.
10/31/03
Latest News for Pieces of April
October 26, 2006:
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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:
A Day to Give Thanks (for Good Thanksgiving Movies!)
The Newsday column gets to take a few days off during the big holidays, but I couldn't let today go by without offering our friends a handful of Turkey-day treats. If you're... More...
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:
"Everything Changes" for Peter Hedges
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