Big Stone Gap

It's 1978. Big Stone Gap is a coal mining town in the mountains of Virginia. Ave Maria Mulligan (Ashley Judd) is the 40 year old spinster who runs her late mean-spirited father's pharmacy. After her mother's death, she gets a letter from her revealing her real Italian biological father. She has a longtime love of quiet miner Jack MacChesney (Patrick Wilson) but gold-digging divorcee Sweet Sue Tinsley (Jane Krakowski) has set her sights on him. Fleeta Mullins (Whoopi Goldberg) is her one employee.

This is a lot of Hollywood types trying to play hillbillies. It's a wacky artistic group with too many lacking the prerequisite red necks. Judd and Wilson can pass for photogenic country folk but there are too many other wacky coasters. Elfman and Goldberg don't fit. This lacks the authenticity of a 70's coal mining town. Even poor Pearl Grimes' family has a nice house. The coal mining has no realism. It's a bunch of guys with hand shovels. I do like the actors and characters overall. Judd and Wilson are an appealing romantic pairing. It's not quite enough to overcome the lack of a ramshackle setting or believable town folks. have been more intensity but Fry is good.

Well, it has some cudling moments for the ones who likes to lugh and cry when watching movie, and especially the last will hit a high score. but what we missed, my wife and i, was the true sting to the plot of the story. actually, there are really nothing groundbreaking and unique about this film. the acting are good, and the cast tries to make a beautiful impression, but the jumping jack flashy-feeling are missing here and youll never really '' find that lovly feelin' ''. it would have been a lot more interesting if she left looking for her father.....

its based on a novel, a fine one for sure, but adapting the story into a screenplay are difficult and in this instance i feel the glitch-factor alot. the time line and fast shifting environments and rather awkward editing and direction , makes it hard to follow and rend into the story

its not a rewatch for me , and the grumpy old mans wife does just barely recommend it.

Adriana Trigiani is a fantastic writer especially if you are from the south and have moved away. Her humor is spot on with her southern twist. Love her books and have anxiously awaited seeing this movie for some time. I hope it gets better distribution soon. Fantastic cast. Ashley Judd, Whoopi & Jenna Elfman were cast perfectly for their characters and so was everyone else. Scenery was beautiful. I have read nearly all of her books and I hope we have a sequel soon because the story just gets better and better in the other books. Prepare to laugh and laugh. Her portrayal of a true small southern town is so special. You feel like you are part of the town and you feel like you know everyone. It's a turn back in time of the way things used to be. It's a special movie full of heart and soul.

Fantastic Movie! Captures the heart of a small town, while making every viewer want a taste of this down home country town. The love story compares to no other, the sacrifice, the warmth, the detail. Love Love Love this movie, I simply did not want it to end. Everyone needs to see this movie, it will make you laugh, cry, and even snort a little at times. A film that captures what life is all about, loving others. LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!!! The casting fits the bill. And this is a movie that I can honestly say follows the book to a T! All the way through you can trace the movie by the book. This movie makes you feel at home, as if you are living the story right along side Ave Maria and Jack Mack! By far the best movie I have ever seen! Trigiani simply outdone herself with this one.

I read where someone said it was a film that would only interest residents of Big Stone Gap. Not true! It does however, depict a way of life that is fast fading away. The movie is set in 1978, as was the book of the same title, but I can tell you having visited the area, that it remains largely unchanged today. Trigiani consistently creates characters in her novels that touch our hearts and become our friends. This movie version of her debut novel truly brings her already vibrant characters to life. I credit the honesty of the film, and it's adherence to the original story, to Trigiani's hands-on approach to movie making. It is obvious her heart and soul went into this project. If the reviewers who criticize would only slow down, step back, and allow themselves to be transported to this simpler time and place, they too would fall in love with Big Stone Gap.