Empire Falls (2005)

Key Cast

Ed Harris, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt, Paul Newman, Robin Wright Penn, Aidan Quinn, Joanne Woodward, Dennis Farina, William Fichtner, Estelle Parsons, Jeffrey DeMunn, Danielle Panabaker

Visit the film’s web site and IMDB entry.

Synopsisempire_falls

This made-for-TV movie, consisting of five chapters, is based on Richard Russo’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel in which Miles Roby (Ed Harris) manages the Empire Grill that is owned by the town matriarch (Joanne Woodward) in his blue-collar mill town in Maine. Miles feels his world is disintegrating because his wife, Janine (Helen Hunt), is divorcing him. He reflects on the state of his life, which also includes his not-so-kind father (Paul Newman) and his daughter (Danielle Panabaker), while his own life remains in limbo. Despite the despair, there is a message of love and hope that permeates this story.