Santa Fe Film Festival 2008

This dysfunctional family comedy with heart stars Academy Award nominee Kathleen Quinlan and Jay O. Sanders and takes place in Buffalo, N.Y., in the late ‘80s. On the night before Thanksgiving, Cliff and Carol Morgan gather their three grown children—Robby, a late-night radio DJ, his hypochondriac younger brother Charlie and their adopted sister Brooke—at their favorite Chinese restaurant, the Golden Buddha, to announce that, after 30 years, they'll be getting a divorce. Can they spend their last Thanksgiving together in a civilized manner? A fiercely original script, written by actors Troy Hall and Kevin Logie (who portray the adult brothers), is the root of this dark, outrageous, hilarious exploration how one impending divorce can affect every element of family life. POUNDCAKE pushes the family reunion film into a hysterical, emotional free-fall. Director Rafael Monserrate lets the action play out like the finale of an insane symphony, controlling the underlying fever pitch with just the right amount of restraint. The performances of the ensemble cast help make this a mesmerizing, at times a disturbing comedy.