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Cookie's Fortune

PG-13 Released Jan 22, 1999 1h 58m Comedy Drama List
86% Tomatometer 58 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
After learning that her aunt, an elderly Mississippi widow (Patricia Neal), has taken her own life, Camille (Glenn Close) hatches an unusual postmortem plan. With her sister (Julianne Moore) in tow, Camille hides evidence that points to suicide, deciding instead to make the death look like a murder. Her scheme, fueled by vanity and greed, is not victimless, as it appears that a local handyman (Charles S. Dutton) might take the fall for a crime that never occurred.
Cookie's Fortune

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Robert Altman's gift for diffuse storytelling is employed to breezily enjoyable effect in Cookie's Fortune, a mirthful caper that layers on a generous helping of Southern charm.

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Critics Reviews

View All (58) Critics Reviews
Angie Errigo Empire Magazine This isn't great Altman but it's fun Altman. Rated: 3/5 Jul 21, 2010 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Most of what transpires is low-key, affectionate comedy and a fair amount of fun. Jul 21, 2010 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Cookie's Fortune is a wittily diagrammed portrait of a small town shaken to its roots by this deceptive calamity. The movie, though, never really becomes more than a diagram. Rated: B- Jul 7, 2010 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com This is black comedy light, but you'll catch the undercurrent of ingrained racism in the hands of Glenn Close's villainess character Camille Dixon. Rated: A Dec 18, 2020 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com This serio comedy about an eccentric Southern family is a minor work in Altman's oeuvre, but it's well acted and enjoyable. Rated: B- Aug 10, 2011 Full Review Film4 Staff Film4 Despite several silly twists near the end, the acting is quite charming. Jul 21, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (146) audience reviews
Mason M A just delightful film to watch, funny and entertaining with a wonderful cast of characters from Altman. It will always be a fun watch Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/08/24 Full Review Audience Member I thoroughly enjoyed this movie last night. Set in a small Mississippi town the story reveals it's twists and turns at its own pace. Ultimately there is only one "villain" while all of the others come together as the friends and family they are. A welcome enjoyable story. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member the acting is terrible. You'd think that with a stellar cast, it would be great but everything is so stiff and none of it is believable. Its also super predictable and the writing is some of the worst I think I've ever experienced. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review steve d Not even slightly amusing, or entertaining. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Despite some strong individual performances, this film takes far too long in exposition and moves glacially. Even before Cookie dies I had lost all interest in the outcome of the story. Altman was on the decline on this one, unfortunately. Don't bother. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member I loved it. Being from the South I was a bit skeptical at first. Southern accents can be brutalize by Hollywood, and depictions of Southern culture are often full of obnoxious, racist, ignorant stereotypes that I am wary of. And the writers, head on, challenged "old plantation" ideologies plus there were a few interesting and daring takes where one of the characters begins to learn new ways of looking at racial differences. But that is only one theme. Cookies Fortune is a story which unfolds deliciously. It is a classical tragic comedy. It's a great movie to sink into a couch with, and eat a bowl of buttered popcorn on a Sunday afternoon. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Cookie's Fortune

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Movie Info

Synopsis After learning that her aunt, an elderly Mississippi widow (Patricia Neal), has taken her own life, Camille (Glenn Close) hatches an unusual postmortem plan. With her sister (Julianne Moore) in tow, Camille hides evidence that points to suicide, deciding instead to make the death look like a murder. Her scheme, fueled by vanity and greed, is not victimless, as it appears that a local handyman (Charles S. Dutton) might take the fall for a crime that never occurred.
Director
Robert Altman
Producer
Ernst Etchie Stroh
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Primer Plano Film Group S.A., Argentina Video Home, Budapest Film Rt., Bac Films
Production Co
Sandcastle 5 Productions, Moonstone Entertainment
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 22, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 1, 2016
Runtime
1h 58m
Sound Mix
Surround