This is the sort of movie that you see, and after you've seen it, you realize you ought to have read the book instead. The characters were just too much, I think, for the director (or screenwriters) to handle. None of the characters were boring, but they were predictable.
This is the story of a young woman named Finn, who is working on her third attempt at a Master's thesis and has just been proposed to by her boyfriend. She decides to spend the summer with her grandmother and aunt in a very small, California town so she can figure things out. Her grandmother, aunt and their quilting circle get together to make Finn's wedding quilt, and share stories of their past (and current) loves.
Some of the acting is quite good; I especially liked Gena Rowlands and Anne Bancroft. Ryder is, as usual, kind of drippy. A little too cute to be your average Jo; it's hard for me to take her seriously. In any case, the women's stories are usually interesting, but lack depth. I'm sure the movie didn't do the original story justice.
On the positive side, there is the nice use of flashbacks into different times and places; and I think this movie was just as much about how men relate to women as it was about women trying to deal with their men.
This film also features Winona (once again) narrating herself; a technique that is beginning to wear on my nerves. All in all, I was disappointed by the overall product; it was rather like a few intriguing patches being wasted in a pretty, but unimaginative quilt.
This is the story of a young woman named Finn, who is working on her third attempt at a Master's thesis and has just been proposed to by her boyfriend. She decides to spend the summer with her grandmother and aunt in a very small, California town so she can figure things out. Her grandmother, aunt and their quilting circle get together to make Finn's wedding quilt, and share stories of their past (and current) loves.
Some of the acting is quite good; I especially liked Gena Rowlands and Anne Bancroft. Ryder is, as usual, kind of drippy. A little too cute to be your average Jo; it's hard for me to take her seriously. In any case, the women's stories are usually interesting, but lack depth. I'm sure the movie didn't do the original story justice.
On the positive side, there is the nice use of flashbacks into different times and places; and I think this movie was just as much about how men relate to women as it was about women trying to deal with their men.
This film also features Winona (once again) narrating herself; a technique that is beginning to wear on my nerves. All in all, I was disappointed by the overall product; it was rather like a few intriguing patches being wasted in a pretty, but unimaginative quilt.