Pieces of April

By EWAN MCDONALD

(Herald rating: * )

Speaking of turkeys ... this is an independent comedy starring Katie Holmes as April, a young New Yorker who's struggling to make the perfect Thanksgiving dinner for the family that she's left behind. She can't cook, the oven's broken, and she'll have to rely on the courtesy of understanding NY, NY neighbours before the stress of hosting Mom (Patricia Clarkson), who's suffering terminal cancer, Dad (Oliver Platt), who's falling apart, and the siblings. Not funny. Nor is the script or approach from writer-director Peter Hedges (Who's Eating Gilbert Grape).

* DVD, video rental 28 October