The master of ensembles and intertwining storylines is back with this wonderful new Mississippi mystery. Of course, the master in question is Robert Altman (M.A.S.H., The Player, Short Cuts).

Film veteran Patricia Neal is completely engaging as Cookie--the local rich widow who turns Holly Springs, Mississippi upside down upon her death; as well as the clueless local law enforcement trying to determine the cause of it.

Once again, Altman assembles an extraordinary cast; including, Glenn Close as a religious zealot, Julianne Moore as a simpleton with a heart of gold, Charles S. Dutton (who gives the film's best performance), Chris O'Donnell, Liv Tyler, Lyle Lovett, and Ned Beatty.
Altman moves Cookie's Fortune along at a leisurely pace, while allowing the film to flow from one unexpected scene to the next. This film is storytelling at its very finest.