The Spitfire Grill

Starring:Alison Elliott, Ellen Burstyn, Marcia Gay Harden, Will Patton, Kieran Mulroney, Gailard Sartain, John M. Jackson, Louise De Cormier, Ida Griesemer, Lincoln Grow, Emerson Grow, Lisa Louise Langford, Forrest Murray, Patty Smith (III), Faith Catlin, Janet St. Onge, Jim Hogue, Stacy Becker, Cliff Levering, Dennis Mientka
Director: Lee David Zlotoff
Studio: Turner Home Ent
Product Type: DVD

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This well-acted drama won the Audience award at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, causing a festival ruckus when several distributors entered a bidding war in response to the movie's positive buzz. When the movie was finally released, audience and critical response provided a sudden reality check: the movie's good to a point, but hardly worth the fuss it received at Sundance. Packing a miniseries' worth of melodrama into 117 minutes, the story centers on a young woman named Percy (Alison Elliott) who served prison time for manslaughter and arrives in a small town in Maine with hopes of beginning a new life. She works as a waitress in the Spitfire Grill, owned by Hannah (Ellen Burstyn), whose gruff exterior conceals a kind heart and precious little tolerance for the grill's regular customers, who cast their suspicions on Percy's mysterious past. The plot unfolds when Hannah holds a $100-per-entry essay contest to find a new owner for the grill. There's ample mystery surrounding the collected money, a local hermit who's really Hannah's shell-shocked Vietnam veteran son, and circumstances that lead the locals to adopt a lynch-mob mentality at Percy's expense. By the time Percy is nearly drowning in a raging river, The Spitfire Grill has taken its melodrama a few steps 'round the bend. Fine acting is the movie's saving grace, however, and newcomer Alison Elliott anchors The Spitfire Grill with a subtle, emotionally involving performance. Thanks to Elliott and Burstyn, you don't have to feel too guilty if you find yourself reaching for a Kleenex as the closing credits roll. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

A Balm in Gilead.......2007-03-09

A wonderful story of reconciliation and redemption through poignant sacrifice. Have the handkerchief close by.

Awesome.......2006-08-23

This is what I would refer to as a sleeper film. It grabs your interest from the very beginning and keeps it throughout the entire film. Good acting and great storyline.

Better than expected!.......2006-07-31

This is a meaningful movie. It brings out the emotions, makes one think about relationships and judgement. Worth watching with a tissue!

A quiet, satisfying movie.......2006-07-17

The Spitfire Grill is a very well written and acted tear-jerker. A young girl, just released from prison, decides to settle down in the quiet New England village of Gillead. The residents initially are downright unfriendly to her, and their transformation is predictable, but achieved in an unpredictable and pleasing way. The Spitfire Grill is like that: certain outcomes are required in this kind of movie, but the way the story gets to them is surprising and satisfying.

A great cast of characters (and actors) surround Alison Elliott as the young ex-con Percy. But Elliott is the key: she is very, very good in this movie, and her character is one you'll remember for quite a while.

I don't in general care for tear-jerker movies like the Spitfire Grill, but the tragedies and joys presented here are believable and not overdone. I enjoyed the immersion in Gillead and its people, and was both saddened and uplifted (without being manipulated) by this fine movie. Highly recommended.

The Spitfire Grill.......2006-06-09

The best movie I have seen - why because it touches
the heart and soul. It is rare to see a story like
this but when it does happen - it is a gift from
above. I bought the script, to try and find out
how the writer did this. All of the acters; photography;
"words not said" were gold, pure gold. You will be
moved. I still feel like I am part of this family
of people in the film. Priceless film making and
a standard of quality. Thank you to all who put it
together.

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