Last year I had the honor of attending the world premiere of Adriana Trigiani's small-town comedy, Big Stone Gap. And to this day I'm still pretty much the only critic who reviewed it. While I had worried the film would never see release, all of that has changed with news that PictureHouse has acquired the U.S. rights and will release it nationwide on October 9th.
Shot entirely in southern Virginia, the hometown of Trigiani and star Patrick Wilson, the charming homespun comedy has a cast that features Ashley Judd, Whoopi Goldberg, Jenna Elfman, Anthony LaPaglia, John Benjamin Hickey, and Jane Krakowski. Here's the full press release:
Picturehouse has acquired all US rights to BIG STONE GAP from Altar Identity Studios and will release the film nationwide on Oct. 9. The film was written and directed by best-selling author Adriana Trigiani (The Shoemakers Wife) with an all-star cast led by Ashley Judd and featuring Patrick Wilson,Whoopi Goldberg, John Benjamin Hickey, Jane Krakowski, Anthony La Paglia and Jenna Elfman.
Adriana Trigiani, in her debut as screenwriter/director, brings her best-selling novel BIG STONE GAP to the movies. Shot entirely on location in Trigiani and Wilson’s hometown in the southwest corner of Virginia (the Wilson family has had roots in Big Stone Gap for generations) and set in 1978, the film brings to vivid life the story of proud working people and their lives in a coal-mining town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains.
"We made not just a great movie, but a beautiful movie. It looks lush,” says Ms. Goldberg.
Rounding out the cast are Chris Sarandon, Jasmine Guy, Judith Ivey, James Hampton, Paul Wilson, Mary Pat Gleason, Dagmara Domincyzk and Mary Testa, who dramatize the story alongside local actors and performers.
The movie was produced by Academy Award winner Donna Gigliotti (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK,) and James Spies. The cinematography is by Reynaldo Villalobos. The original music is by John Leventhal. Costumes are by Debra McGuire. Executive producers are J.E.Craig and Jean Morrissey.
“Adriani is a force of nature, which her readers know and love, and Picturehouse is pleased to bring this heartwarming and romantic slice of life from 1978, to her fans around the country,” says Jeanne R. Berney, president. “This is the kind of big broad movie that will charm audiences of all ages and bring you back to a place and time we all remember fondly.”
“Shot entirely on location in the rolling hills of the real Big Stone Gap, Virginia, and featuring local talent at every turn, the film is truly a love letter to small town life, working people and the triumph of love, and we are glad to have Picturehouse bring our story to audiences nationwide.” says Wade Bradley, president, Altar Identity Studios.
Set in 1978, BIG STONE GAP tells the story of the ever-ordinary Ave Maria Mulligan (Ashley Judd) who lives a simple life with her mother, runs the pharmacy, directs The Trail of the Lonesome Pine Outdoor Drama, and hopes that Theodore Tipton, her best friend and the high school band director will take their platonic friendship in a romantic direction. Ave Maria waits, and before she knows it, she turns 40. Now the old maid of Big Stone Gap, Ave Maria decides that happiness is for other people – that is, until a long-buried family secret throws her quiet life spectacularly off-course.
