Cookie's Fortune (Glenn Close)

Cookie's Fortune unfolds over an eventful Easter
weekend in the small town of Holly Springs,
Mississippi. The town residents are peaceful, kind
folkwith the exception of Camille Dixon (Glenn
Close)a pushy theatre director with an
incredibly shy younger sister, Cora (Julianne
Moore), whose estranged daughter Emma (Liv Tyler)
has just returned to town. On the heels of her
latest play, Camille is shocked to discover that
her Aunt Jewel Mae 'Cookie Orcutt (Patricia Neal)
has committed suicide. Terrified at the thought of
how this will tarnish the family name, she eats
the suicide note to make it look like a burglary.
This set-up leads the police to one main suspect,
Willis Richland (Charles S. Dutton), who also
happens to be Cookie's best friend. Although the
rest of the town is convinced Willis didn't commit
the crime, an outside investigator (Courtney B.
Vance) isn't so sure. As Easter Sunday and opening
night of the play arrive, the truth comes out,
revealing more secrets than anyone could have
possibly imagined. Director Altman tells his story
at a leisurely pace, beautifully recreating the
eccentricities of small town life in this sweet-
natured tale.