Perfect Pie
Perfect Pie DVD cover
Directed byBarbara Willis Sweete
Written byJudith Thompson
Produced byNiv Fichman
StarringWendy Crewson
Barbara Williams
Alison Pill
Rachel McAdams
Jennifer Pisana
Brittany Bristow
Alex Campbell
Tom McCamus
CinematographyPaul Sarossy
Edited byDavid Wharnsby
Music byAlexina Louie
Alex Pauk
Production
company
Release date
  • September 10, 2002 (2002-09-10) (TIFF)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Perfect Pie is a 2002 Canadian film directed by Barbara Willis Sweete from a script by Judith Thompson. The screenplay was based on Thompson's play of the same name and stars Wendy Crewson, Barbara Williams, Alison Pill, and Rachel McAdams.

The film concerns the friendship of childhood best friends Patsy Willets and Marie Beck who reunite after a separation of 30 years.

The film premiered at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival.[1]

Summary

Famed opera singer Francesca Prine, born Marie Beck, (Barbara Williams) receives an invitation to return to her hometown of Marmora, Ontario and sing in a charity concert from her former best friend Patsy Willets (Wendy Crewson). The two friends have not seen each other in thirty years after a train accident injured them both.

In flashbacks we see Marie and Patsy's friendship evolve. As a child Marie is bullied but is nevertheless befriended by Patsy who frequently invites her to her home. Patsy notices that Marie is poor and is neglected by her alcoholic, abusive mother. Patsy and her mother do their best to offer help to Marie and teach her to play the piano and sing, which Marie takes to naturally.

As the girls turn to teens the bullying grows worse and Marie is sexually harassed by local boys. Marie asks Patsy for help identifying the reason behind the bullying and is dismayed when Patsy points out her poor hygiene.

Marie develops a crush on Don Rayford, a pianist she meets at church who immediately recognizes her enormous talent as the two prepare for the local Kiwanis Music Festival. Encouraged by Patsy, Marie asks Don to a Sadie Hawkins dance and he accepts.

The night of the dance Patsy helps Marie prepare though she is unable to attend herself as she is sick. Marie's mother calls the house in a drunken rage to tell Marie not to be a slut which Marie mocks as she has never even kissed a boy. Things with Don go well at the dance until he drunkenly leaves Marie. Confused Marie leaves the dance and is gang raped by several of her bullies. She makes her way to Patsy who attempts to call for help but is unable to because the phone is a partyline. Marie then attempts suicide by going to the train tracks. Patsy initially tries to save her before being hypnotized by the light of the oncoming train; she is ultimately saved by Marie who manages to pull her away, though not before she is somewhat injured by the train.

In the present Francesca and Patsy struggle to reconnect as Patsy is in awe of Francesca's celebrity and wild lifestyle whereas Francesca seems to look down at her small life as a housewife. The other townspeople also treat Francesca like a celebrity, despite the fact that they bullied her as a child. Both Francesca and Patsy bear scars from their childhood; Francesca is prone to panic attacks and Patsy has developed seizures from her injuries from the train. In order to reconcile themselves the two friends go back to the train tracks where they remember the night of the accident. Each woman reveals that they credit the other with having saved their life.

Cast

References

  1. ↑ Stratton, David (30 September 2002). "Perfect Pie". Variety. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
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