Pieces of April (2003)

Release date: 2003-11-28
Country: USA
Language: English|Mandarin
Director: Peter Hedges
Production Co: United Artists, IFC Productions, InDigEnt (Independent Digital Entertainment)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: 7.0/10
Length: 1h 20min

Storyline

In a very poor zone of New York, April Burns and her boyfriend, the Afro-American Bobby, are preparing to receive April's family for thanksgiving dinner. While Bobby tries to borrow a suit for himself, April realizes that her stove is broken. She tries desperately to find a neighbor that can let her cook the turkey, since she does not want to fail (again) with her family. Meanwhile, in a suburb of Pennsylvania, her dysfunctional family is preparing to travel to New York. While driving, the relationship between the Burns and their black-sheep April is disclosed through the conversations between her father Jim, her resented mother Joy, her brother, her sister and her grandmother.

Plot Keywords

cell phone, camera, photographer, photograph, nipples, breast feeding, gas station, filling station, underwear, african american, tears, pay phone, drug dealer, motor scooter, piercing, tattoo, kiss, motorcycle, biker, crying

Short Review

Thanksgiving just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a dysfunctional family reunion, but writer-director Peter Hedges comes up with an original take on the holiday disaster theme in the quiet gem Pieces of April.