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Show page 4 Friday. October 13. Davis County Clipper 1995 American Quilt n ri i i i i i i i i i i n riTi-nr- mr doesnt dig deep enough working on Finns wedding quilt. In the process, they tell Finn stories that span from 1860 to the present. These yams impart wisdom and fill the film with flashbacks. circle thats Besides nice performances by Bancroft, Burstyn, Nelligan, and Woodard, the movie also showcas S4)eft Good'fr'fc Excellent Fawna Jones Movie Critic Almost everywhere that Finn turns, theres a woman waiting to tell her her story. Not just any story, but at tale that touches on an issue of abiding importance, like the role of fidelity in marriage. These yams are spun from a womans vantage point, and, not surprisingly, theyre the main course in the film How To Make An American Quilt. With actresses like Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Alfre Woodard, Kate Nelligan, and Winona Ryder, the expectations for this film have been high. Although Quilt moves toward a conventionally romantic finale, its clear that the film makers want Academy-Award-nodd- to believe in the relationship between quilting and life: These womens experiences, were instructed, are beautiful pieces in a tapestry woven from ordinary expe fax'k'k Poo ("k rience. (That is very optimistic for some of these stories.) Though modestly appealing, the idea doesnt produce a movie of matching complexity. In reality, American Quilt has been sewn from simple cloth: A little plain, a little jealousy and several dashes of regret. In structure, the movie resembles The Joy Luck Club, without Amy Tans wonderful flare for historical melodrama. Ryder plays Finn, a Berkeley graduate student whos on the verge her grandmother (Burstyn). Ostensibly, Finn seeks a quiet place to finish her thesis, which has something to do with handicrafts. As luck would have it, Burstyn and her sister (Bancroft) are part of a quilting haw nasi TROUV 1000 N. 500 E Joseph Walker Contributing Writer For as long as I can remember, Ive always been tall. Not tall as in Hows the weather up there, big tall. Just taller guy?" Not NBA-typ- e than normal. Whatever normal is. around to provide the movie with a focal point. Site takes a summer off fiancd (Dermot Mulroney) to visit NORTH N. Salt Lake I dont know if being tall has been much of an advantage to me during the course of my life. It probably helped me make the basketball team in high school And the long reach certainly comes in handy from time to time. But when I was going to school, I dont think I ever received a better grade because I was tall. Im pretty sure I never got a job or a promotion because I was taller than the other applicants. And the way Anita tells the story, she married me despite my height, not because of it But even if it hasnt been a particular advantage for me, Ive always liked being tall. I thought it was kind of cool to stand in the back row for class photographs (yes, that was me holding up two fingers behind the head of the person in front of me). Its usually pretty easy for people to find me in a crowd. And Ive never had a hard time seeing over the person sitting in front of me at a theater (although I cant say the same thing for the person sitting behind me). Every once in a while, however, being tall becomes something of a disadvantage. Like right now, for example. As I am writing this. Im sort of sitting in an aisle seat on one of those discount airlines (you know, the kind where they dont serve you a bag of peanuts and a soft drink they just shovel a bushel of unshelled nuts into the passenger section and S4NDG1STLG 1645 South 500 West, Woods Cross by Jane Anderson, keeps the proceedings tasteful, but there are too many stories and they dont dig deep enough. Whats missing is any sense of urgency, a feeling of struggle. Bottom line: ( 12) Perhaps the film makers felt it was sufficient to make a movie resembling a Hallmark Hall of Fame program. (Universal. Whos it for? Those (primarily women) who want to reflect on the intricacies of relationships.) Limitations come with being special of getting married. Finn hardly qualifies as a character; shes from her relationship with her es Maya Angelous (the poet) and Jean Simmons (who hasnt worked in a while). Director Jocelyn Moorehouse, working from a script pass around a two liter bottle for sharesies). I say sort of sitting because sitting wouldnt be exactly precise. Hunched would be more accurate. So would crammed. Or jammed. All of which would be OK, I guess, if the guy sitting in front of me hadnt pushed his seat back so far that his head is now resting on my 9 lap. But there he is, napping on my knees. And right now, in addition to sort of sitting, Im sort of wishing that my legs were just about six inches shorter. But well be landing in about 15 minutes, and as soon as I get myself unfolded from this position, I know Ill once again be glad to be tall as long as I remember to duck on my way out the airplane door. My teenagers probably under- stand exactly how Im feeling. Although Im pretty sure they like being in our family and usually consider it to be one of the blessings of their lives, I know there are times when theyd rather be in just about any other family. Thats because we have rules and standards in our home, and were pretty strict about observing them. And even though those rules and standards are an important part of what our family is and who our children are becoming, sometimes they can make life a little uncomfortable because they limit absolute, total and complete freedom. Thats sort of the way it is in life. Sometimes the very thing that makes us special carries with it inherent limitations. For example, Michael Jordans talent has brought to him incredible fame and fortune, but it has also made it difficult for him to ever get any privacy. And while few of us find those limitations so difficult to bear that we would be willing to eliminate our distinction from our lives, we are from time to time reminded that there is eventually a price to be paid for being special Donald Trump gets hit up for loans all the time. Dolly Parton has to put up with rude, tacky comments. Prince Charles has those ears. And people who are used to riding tall in the saddle occasionally get hunched. Not to mention crammed, jammed and folded. 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