Miss Firecracker

Miss Firecracker is a 1989 American comedy film directed by Thomas Schlamme. It stars Holly Hunter, Mary Steenburgen, Tim Robbins, Alfre Woodard, and Scott Glenn. The film, set in Yazoo City, Mississippi, was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley and is based on her 1984 play The Miss Firecracker Contest.
== Cast ==
* Holly Hunter as Carnelle Scott
* Mary Steenburgen as Elain Rutledge
* Tim Robbins as Delmount Williams
* Alfre Woodard as Popeye Jackson
* Scott Glenn as Mac Sam
* Veanne Cox as Tessy Mahoney
* Ann Wedgeworth as Miss Blue
* Trey Wilson as Benjamin Drapper
* Amy Wright as Missy Mahoney
* Kathleen Chalfant as Miss Lily
* Robert Fieldsteel as Tommy Turner
* Greg Germann as Ronnie Wayne
* Avril Gentles as Mrs. Biggs
* Bert Remsen as Mr. Morton
* Angela Turner as Caroline Jefferson
== Production and release ==
Costing US$4 million, Miss Firecracker was the first production for Corsair Pictures, a division of United Artists Communications. Scheduled for February 1989, it was released April 28 of that year and grossed US$1.85 million in North America. A VHS release from HBO Home Video followed in November.
== Critical reception ==
The film has a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 12 reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film 3 and ½ stars out of four and said, "What finally makes 'Miss Firecracker' special is that it is not about who wins the contest, but about how all beauty contests are about the need to be loved and about how silly a beauty contest can seem if somebody really loves you." He lauded director Thomas Schlamme and cinematographer Arthur Albert for capturing the local atmosphere of Yazoo City with a "moony, romantic glow." Ebert praised not just the performance of Holly Hunter, but also called Tim Robbins and Alfre Woodard "the hidden treasures of the movie."
== See also ==
* List of American films of 1989
Category:1989 films
Category:English-language films
Category:1989 comedy films