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Piper Laurie, Sissy Spacek, Walter Matthau, Edward Furlong, Nell Carter ... see more see more... , Jack Lemmon , Joe Don Baker , Charles Durning , Grayson Fricke , Boyd Gaines , Mia Kirshner , Veronica Lauren , Roddy McDowall , Danny Nelson , Joan Plowright , Mary Steenburgen , Cicely Tyson , Sean Patrick Flanery

Based on the novel by Truman Capote, this often-witty coming-of-age drama looks at a young man growing up with an unusual family in the Deep South in the 1940s. After the death of his parents, Collin ... read more read more...Fenwick (Edward Furlong) finds himself living in a small town with two of his aunts, Dolly (Piper Laurie) and Verena (Sissy Spacek). Verena is the more stable of the two, an entrepreneur who controls a number of local businesses and rules the roost with a firm hand. Dolly, on the other hand, is a gentle eccentric who claims to hear the voices of the dead as the wind whistles through the grass, and has developed a homemade concoction that supposedly cures dropsy. Dolly's potion attracts the attention of Morris Ritz (Jack Lemmon), a smooth-talking con man from Chicago who wants to snatch the formula away from her. Along the way, Collin also gets to know Catherine (Nell Carter), Verena and Dolly's quick-witted house maid; Amos (Roddy McDowall), a barber who is also the town's one-man rumor mill; Charlie Cool (Walter Matthau), a charmingly cynical retired judge with an opinion about everything; and Sister Ida (Mary Steenburgen), an accordion-toting traveling evangelist who has had a heroic brood of 13 children without benefit of marriage. The Grass Harp was directed by Charles Matthau, the son of Walter Matthau. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

55% liked it

954 ratings

Critics

50% liked it

14 critics

PG, 1 hr. 47 min.

Directed by: Charles Matthau

Release Date: October 11, 1996

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DVD Release Date: April 19, 2005

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Stats: 59 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (59)

  • jjnxn
    September 7, 2007
    jjnxn
    lovely small film, all the performers do superior work but Piper Laurie stands above them all with a performance that is exquisite, touching and real.
  • bluelaceangel1
    December 4, 2007
    bluelaceangel1
    takes place during the depression.. a group of misfits decide to live in a tree house and the town folks do not take too kindly to the idea... its a drama worth checking out...

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Critic Reviews

Daniel M. Kimmel
April 29, 2005
Daniel M. Kimmel, Variety

Helmer Charles Matthau combines a sensitive screenplay adaptation of Truman Capote's autobiographical novel with a wonderful ensemble cast to create a jewel of a film. Full Review

Mike Clark
January 1, 2000
Mike Clark, USA Today

Star power isn't a problem in this episodic rendering of Truman Capote's novel. A scattershot story without focus is, which is why the film soon evaporates from the memory.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 27, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Compels us to consider the bounties of nature an the spiritual virtues of freedom, love, and storytelling. Full Review

Chris Hicks
January 1, 2000
Chris Hicks, Deseret News, Salt Lake City

The characters are wonderfully written. Full Review

Lawrence Van Gelder
August 30, 2004
Lawrence Van Gelder, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

April 12, 2002
Globe and Mail

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Desson Thomson
January 22, 2002
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

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Kevin Thomas
February 14, 2001
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

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January 1, 2000
Houston Chronicle

No review available.

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

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    • Judge Charlie Cool: Love is a chain of love, as nature is a chain of life.
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