Despite Good Premise And Story, ‘Quilt’ Misses A Stitch
“How to Make an American Quilt” is about a colorful group of older women crafting a quilt, weaving bits of fabric into a unified whole. At the same time, the movie is supposed to pull pieces of the women’s past into a montage meant to guide young Finn (Winona Ryder) to a decision regarding her boyfriend’s marriage proposal.
Though the women’s sewing is strong and skillful, the filmmaking is not. “How to Make an American Quilt” is plagued with great flaws that stunt the potential of its subject matter.
The movie opens with Finn’s arrival at the house of her great-aunt, which is filled with a group of experienced, funny women (played skillfully by veteran actresses) who are making a wedding quilt for Finn.
Finn, who came to the house to work on a thesis and make up her mind about her boyfriend’s proposal, is anxious about losing herself in the bonds of marriage. She gathers the stories of the ladies in the quilting bee and each of them shows a different way of experiencing love and loss. Those segments of the film that recount the women’s lives show adultery, maternal tenderness, jealousy and the bitterness of giving up one’s dreams in beautifully shot, touching sequences that are the strongest points in the movie.
Finn also gets to think about infidelity in her own life when she is tempted by a gorgeous but cheesy guy she meets at the swimming pool.
Though “American Quilt” has potentially exquisite subject matter, its poor narrative makes most of the movie pretty dull.
When it’s not cutting back to the past, the camera jumps all over the place. An unexplained 15-second shot of Finn in an orchard is followed by another unconnected lightning-quick shot of Finn talking by the pool. This poor editing is irritating to watch and it interrupts the flow of the film.
The imperfections of “American Quilt” are almost redeemed by its warmth, humor and touching ending. One conversation that drew huge laughs in the theater involved Finn smoking a joint on the front porch with her grandmother and her greataunt. But when the mid-section of a movie drags on and on, it is difficult to be very enthusiastic about it.
It should be acknowledged that this is definitely a “chick” movie. Though men may want to watch it with some interest, most won’t be able to identify with it like a woman would.
Though I don’t think it was an outstanding film, I might go see “American Quilt” again. Because of its female-bonding nature, “American Quilt” is the perfect movie for a girl to see with mom.
Grade: C+