The Fare Is Loaded With Sweetener In ‘Spitfire Grill’

Hailed at the Sundance Film Festival, “The Spitfire Grill” arrives in Spokane boasting a storyline that will delight some while sending others in search of a stomach pump.

That’s what you get from a filmmaker - David Lee Zlotoff - who, until now, has worked almost exclusively in television.

And that’s what you get from a film festival - Sundance - that seems to have become a pipeline for overhyped, overconceptualized and overly cliched alternatives to standard Hollywood moviemaking.

Last year it was “The Brothers McMullen.” Now it’s “The Spitfire Grill.”

Actually, “The Brothers McMullen” wasn’t that bad of a film. It just wasn’t as good as all the media attention warranted. The main quality it has in common with “Spitfire Grill” is that both are a step above mainstream fare. In fact, both have moments that are quite moving and funny and even poignant.

The problem of “The Spitfire Grill,” though, is that much of the goodwill that director Zlotoff and a talented cast earn gets lost in a finale that takes the prize for absurdist fantasy wish-fulfillment.

The plot involves a young woman named Percy Talbott (Allison Elliott) who, fresh out of prison, arrives in a small Maine town named Gilead. Before the rime has a chance to coat her bootheels, she is taken in by the town’s crusty cafe owner, Hannah Ferguson (Ellen Burstyn).

In fact, Hannah is so crusty and mean to Percy that it’s obvious the two will become fast friends. And that occurs with the help of Shelby (Marcia Gay Harden), the shy wife of Hannah’s nephew, Nahum (Will Patton).

For when Hannah hurts her hip, leaving Percy in charge of the cooking, it’s Shelby who - despite being labeled a dim bulb by her abusive husband - ends up saving the day. Dim bulb or no, the woman can cook.

And she’s no slouch when Hannah, tired of running the cafe - whose name provides the film’s title - decides to sell out. Shelby, with help from Percy, suggests that Hannah raffle it off in a contest: the person who comes up with the best reason for wanting the cafe will win it (all he or she has to do is pay a $100 entry fee).

To be fair, “The Spitfire Grill” has a good heart. Elliott, a newcomer whose acting style seems effortless, is good as Percy, and Harden is her match as the intimidated Shelby. Their growing friendship is the kind of woman’s story that most Hollywood films either ignore or shamelessly cheapen.

But Zlotoff goes too far. It’s not enough for Percy to find a home in Gilead, but the town has to rediscover its soul through her. It’s not enough for Shelby to grow a backbone, but Nahum has to come around and eventually - if a bit late - see the error of his ways.

And it’s not enough for Percy to decipher the reason for the mysterious bag of supplies that Hannah leaves most nights on a chopping block, but that she has to be the source of healing for the woman’s decades-long wound.

By the time we get to the hunt in the woods, the search for the deranged Vietnam veteran (does Hollywood ever consider any other kind?) and the deadly race through the raging river, the only fantastic plot twist that Zlotoff hasn’t resorted to involves a forest fairy with magic healing dust.

Of course, the ever-handy bus line has even that problem licked.

In the end, “The Spitfire Grill” will provide some enjoyment for everyone, and a lot for others. It has decent acting, the Maine (actually Vermont) locations look appropriately craggy and the issues - the penalties for greed, a longing for friendship and for love, distrust of and prejudice against the unknown - are important. It’s just missing one thing: the sense to know when enough is enough.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: Two sidebars appeared with the story: 1. “The Spitfire Grill” **-1/2 Location: Lincoln Heights, Newport and Coeur d’Alene cinemas Credits: Written and directed by Lee David Zlotoff, starring Allison Elliott, Ellen Burstyn, Marcia Gay Harden, Will Patton and Kieran Mulroney Running time: 1:56 Rating: PG-13 2. Other views of ‘The Spitfire Grill’ Here’s what other critics say about “The Spitfire Grill:” Michael H. Price/Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “The Spitfire Grill,” rather like the backwoods eatery from which it takes its name, is a film of simple pleasures and nurturing warmth. This is meat-and-potatoes moviemaking, and yet it has an edge of urgency in both craft and artistry. Jackie Potts/Miami Herald: “The Spitfire Grill” is both a richly textured character drama and a celebration of sisterhood. Jane Sumner/Dallas Morning News: “The Spitfire Grill” may be a small film, but its humanity, humor and striking, crisp acting make it one of the season’s most satisfying. Jay Carr/The Boston Globe: “The Spitfire Grill” has a certain by-the-numbers quality, but that doesn’t stop it from being an affecting film all the same. Kenneth Turan/Los Angeles Times: A single convincing performance can elevate an imperfect movie, which is what Alison Elliott’s graceful acting does for “The Spitfire Grill.” Janet Maslin/New York Times: “The Spitfire Grill” arrives with a reputation that precedes it: as the slickest drama at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, as a small film purchased by its distributor for a disproportionately large sum ($10 million, a Sundance record) and as an inspirational drama initially financed by an order of Roman Catholic priests. But this contrived, studiously quaint New England tale is less notable for any of that than for the glowing performance of Alison Elliott, its lovely young star. Linda Deutsch/AP Special Correspondent: The flaws marring this effort are the subplots. The tale of the hermit who comes out of the woods to collect canned goods from Hannah is carried on far past the point of interest, and the solution to his mystery is telegraphed early on. The history of Gilead, a town destroyed by deforestation and seeking rebirth, seems superimposed on this human interest tale. That said, “The Spitfire Grill” remains an engrossing, soulsearching saga in a time when such films seem in danger of extinction.