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Poster for Pieces of April

Pieces of April

She's the one in every family.

2003 · 1h 21m · PG-13 Comedy, Drama
Directed by Peter Hedges

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Overview

Quirky and rebellious April Burns lives with her boyfriend in a low-rent New York City apartment miles away from her emotionally distant family. But when she discovers that her mother has a fatal form of breast cancer, she invites the clan to her place for Thanksgiving. While her father struggles to drive her family into the city, April -- an inexperienced cook -- runs into kitchen trouble and must ask a neighbor for help.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
83%
Tomatometer
Rotten

Longer on calculating sourness than on psychologically organic wit.

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Fresh

Laughter and poignancy go hand in hand in this DV debut whose comedy that may be standard, but never ceases to deliver sharp, dark laughs.

Derek Adams, Time Out
Fresh

Pieces of April is built around the tired premise of a dysfunctional family's Thanksgiving get-together, but -- surprise -- it's fresh.

Peter Rainer, New York Magazine/Vulture
Fresh

It's in the cross-cutting between April's disaster-prone preparations and her family's turbulent journey that Hedges's movie finds its lively and likeable rhythm.

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Fresh

This is one of those quietly wonderful films that really deserves an audience.

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

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