How to Make an American Quilt
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Rollicking, soap-like tale of women's love lives.
Why We Rated This
for Ages 14 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of How to Make an American Quilt was written by Heather Boerner
Parents need to know that this girl-power-themed drama is heavy on the smoking, some drinking, and on illicit affairs. Several of the women cheat on their partners with others, including Hy sleeping with her sister's husband, Finn sleeping with Leon while engaged to Sam, and Constance sleeping with Ann's husband Dean. Dean is rumored to have had several affairs. The film also depicts the way in which women have had their dreams stifled by a society that wedded them to their home.
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about whether a film like this is really feminist or whether it's just reasserting old ideas of what it means to be a woman. Do you think the ideas about women and the ideas about men that it professes are true? Do you think it's a biological imperative for men to "flaunt their feathers," as Ann asserts?
More on How to Make an American Quilt
What’s the Story?
Is It Any Good?
However, despite all that, it's hard to consider this a feminist film. There's a fine line between telling the silenced stories of women and dressing up a soap opera in Thelma and Louise clothing. At one point, Constance deadpans, "The hardest part of being a woman is having woman friends." At another, Anna says, "I've come to believe that (her philandering husband) Dean is more typical than not. The female keeps the nest and the male goes out and flaunts his feathers." What could be more "biology is destiny" than that? So be aware that the woman-power ethos is a veneer for a great old Southern gothic story and enjoy it for that.
Movie Details
Run time: 117 minutes
Theatrical release: 10/6/1995, DVD release: 2/23/1999
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for a scene of drug use, some sensuality and nudity.

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