The
master of ensembles and intertwining storylines is back with this wonderful new
Mississippi mystery. Of course, the master in question is Robert Altman (M.A.S.H.,
The Player, Short Cuts).
Film
veteran Patricia Neal is completely engaging as Cookie--the local rich widow who
turns Holly Springs, Mississippi upside down upon her death; as well as the clueless
local law enforcement trying to determine the cause of it.
Once
again, Altman assembles an extraordinary cast; including, Glenn Close as a religious
zealot, Julianne Moore as a simpleton with a heart of gold, Charles S. Dutton
(who gives the film's best performance), Chris O'Donnell, Liv Tyler, Lyle Lovett,
and Ned Beatty. Altman moves Cookie's Fortune along at a leisurely pace, while
allowing the film to flow from one unexpected scene to the next. This film is
storytelling at its very finest.
