Cookie's Fortune
October Films | Release Date: April 2, 1999 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Altman is one of very few directors who could have assembled such a superb ensemble, and he makes the most of it from first scene to last. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Most of what transpires is low-key, affectionate comedy and a fair amount of fun. Read full review
80
SlateDavid Edelstein
It's the work of an old master summing up. It sure feels that way. The screenwriter, Anne Rapp, has provided Altman with a blueprint not only for an ensemble comedy but also for a comedy that honors the very idea of an ensemble. It's no wonder Altman fell on it. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Altman clarifies a convoluted plot with a magician's ease, creates an atmosphere that brims with the pleasures of the unexpected and explores character nuances. Read full review
100
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
Meanders around Holly Springs, Mississippi, with the fuzzy benevolence of a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. Read full review
60
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Won't go down as Robert Altman's most memorable movie. But it's a pleasant affair, whose greatest assets are its unhurried, benevolent atmosphere and the quiet, gem-like moments that occur among its characters. Read full review
100
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
An absolute delight, one of the most sheerly pleasurable movies Altman has ever made. It's wry, jokey and sexy, a tart and delectable entertainment. And, like most of Altman's best work, it's graced with a top-notch ensemble of first-class [9 April 1999, Friday, p.A]
60
The A.V. ClubJoshua Klein
Cookie's Fortune, for all its faults, is a welcome respite. In the uneven hands of Altman, you're better off with a flawed bit of fluff than an outright atrocity. Read full review
50
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Long before it ends, its leisurely immersion in the Mississippi Delta has turned downright lukewarm and even chilly. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Not even Altman's loose-limbed shooting style can redeem Cookie’s Fortune, a bafflingly pointless farce that belongs more properly in the vaudeville halls than on the director's sporadically lustrous résumé. Read full review
70
SalonCharles Taylor
Southern Gothic lite -- with a bite. Read full review
60
TimeRichard Corliss
The film mostly simmers. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Fortune is smiling down on veteran filmmaker Robert Altman with Cookie's Fortune.
70
Dallas ObserverAndy Klein
It's a strange, entertaining little film that derives its weird tension from a blend of comic and serious tones. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Despite some lovely performances (though, sad to say, Patricia Neal's isn't one of them) and charming moments, this meandering ensemble piece and its Tennessee Williams-ish finale is oddly out of character. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
Altman has delivered a lot of surprises in his long directing career, and his new comedy, Cookie's Fortune, is one of the most refreshing -- not because it's so good, but because it's so sweet and affectionate. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleSteve Davis
Close is a true joy. Without question, she's the heart and soul of Cookie's Fortune. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Captivating. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
As a source of light pleasure and solid laughs, it delivers. This particular cookie may not fill the belly, but it goes down easy. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Cookie's Fortune, which knows how to treat serious matters with humor, is to be treasured as an utterly distinctive work by one of America's finest filmmakers. [2 April 1999, Calendar, p.F-1]
50
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
None of the film is exciting, and, despite the preeningly smooth flow of the story, little of it is interesting. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn
In theaters, the lazy haziness of this Southern ensemble comedy made the story feel like it was stuck in the mud. Read full review
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Has no ragged edges or bothersome detours, and flows from surprise to delight. At the end, when just desserts are handed out, it arrives at a kind of perfection. Read full review
80
VarietyTodd McCarthy
May or not be Robert Altman's best film in years, but it is certainly his most pleasurable. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
Pleasingly shaggy. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
A trifle compared to Robert Altman's great films -- But it's a very assured trifle, and an unusually good-natured Altman film. Read full review
60
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Seems to go sideways as often as it goes forward. Altman can't help noticing things more interesting than the story. Read full review
70
The New YorkerDavid Denby
Robert Altman, in a benevolent mood, has made a lovely ensemble comedy from Anne Rapp's original screenplay. Read full review
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