Alfre Woodard Movie:

		List Price: $14.98		Label: Lions Gate Salesrank: 15531 Released: February 10, 2009
		Our Price: $8.70
		Used Price: $8.69
		MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 02/10/2009 Run time: 120 minutes Rating: Pg

Cross Creek Reviews:
A Life Chosen
2009-08-29 - Cross Creek is a film of gentle beauty and one of the most refreshing portraits of a writer ever put on celluloid. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was one of America's greatest writers, her stories serialized in The Saturday Evening Post, and her memoir, Cross Creek, one of the loveliest evocations of a place and time ever found in American letters. She is much too often dismissed nowadays as too Southern and too sentimental. This is director Martin Ritt's apology for that notion.

Mary Steenburgen captures Rawlings in fine fashion. As the memoir begins, in 1928, she is a writer unhappy with her life in society and the husband from whom she has grown apart. Max Perkins (Malcolm McDowell), her editor, keeps rejecting her gothic romances, so she purchases a run down orange grove in Florida and, after filing for divorce, begins a new life in Cross Creek. What she discovers in this beautiful but harsh place will change who she is as both a person and a writer.

Director Ritt stunningly captures the beauty of Cross Creek and the few people who live there. It is here that Rawlings meets her future husband Norton Bascomb (Peter Coyote) and everyone else who would inspire her great novels. Rawlings slowly becomes a part of Cross Creek as she cares for her orange groves and keeps writing. Her letters to Perkins are better than her romance novels he keeps rejecting and the people of Cross Creek begin to take more and more prominence in her work.

Rip Torn gives a memorable performance as Marsh Turner, and a young Dana Hill is unforgettable as Ellie May, the apple of his eye holding tightly to the last of her youthful dreams in the form of her fawn, Flag. They would be the inspiration for The Yearling. Alfrie Woodard, as the enthusiastic Geechee, put herself on the map with her fine portrayel of Rawlings' housemaid and friend. Joanna Miles is fine as Marsh's wife, a delicate woman who has slipped into a better world due to the harsh nature of life in Cross Creek.

Ritt's direction is sure as he mixes the humor and drama of life in Cross Creek with the inner struggle of a very unique and gutsy woman. This is a gentle but heartfelt tribute to one of America's finest, albeit forgotten writers. It is a warm and lovingly filmed tribute with an elegant performance by Steenburgen as a woman who chose to live her life in a backwoods portion of Florida which she would make famous. A fine film about a fine writer.

Florida at it's finest
2009-08-08 - Originally viewed this movie on T.V. and had to have it. This being a true story only adds to the enjoyment of watching it. Great cast of characters. Scenery and a happy ending. What more could you ask for? Nothing bland about Cross Creek. Could be I favor this movie because I love the Everglades in south Florida. I don't think that's it though. Nominated for 4 academy awards speaks for itself.

A must see for any Floridian
2009-06-07 - I was raised in Gainesville Florida, and the images of this movie really takes me back to my youth,( as Micanopy & Cross Creek are just a 15 minute drive South of Gainesville). I can identify with those who settled there and their pioneer spirit. The movie should be a must see for anyone who lives in Florida, or in whom Florida lives in their heart. I am thrilled with the movie and recommend it to anyone who remembers the "Florida" of their youth.

Cross Creek
2009-03-26 - This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Not only is the acting superb (Rip Torn at his best inhabiting a character, Mary Steenburgen speaking volumes with a facial expression, and on down the line),but the story is genuine and unique, as we have come to know it in 40+ years living in the midst of the environment that also captivated Marjorie Kinnan Rawlins. And the opening scene across the dune followed by her tin lizzie coming down the road along the beach was made from where our beach house now stands! A plus of the DVD over our old video is Mary Steenburgen reflecting on the making of the film which is best enjoyed before viewing the feature.

Beautiful Film
2009-02-10 - As a Floridian, I may have been more touched by this film than most people. The photography is wonderful, performances are solid and Rip Torn was astonishing. If you are a fan of MKR I strongly recommend this film.