This film does several things well. It provides it's own little peek at life in a low-rent New York apartment building, that's far more realistic than most. It plays out the dysfunctional family theme for more sophisticated laughs than I've gotten from similar movies in a long time. It has Katie Holmes branching out a bit. It provides a second Patricia Clarkson fix in a year (the first was "The Station Agent, also highly recommended). And in the end, it turns out to be an actual holiday movie. Add a point if you live in New York and like the cast. I'll see it again, for sure.
Review of Pieces of April
