The movie is set in the actual Virginia town of Big Stone Gap circa 1970s, revolving around the life of its self-proclaimed citizen, Ave Marie Mulligan as she finds her life shaken up and forever changed after learning a long-buried family secret.
That the creaky romantic comedy "Big Stone Gap" attracted such a large ensemble of talented name actors only makes this country-fried turkey feel like an even more notable miss.
Despite its all-star cast, Big Stone Gap falls short of what it aims to be: the next great love story. There are a few notable comedic moments, however, and fans of big screen romances may find the journey worthwhile.
Sure, the script can be simpler than a diner menu. And at times the nostalgia seems manufactured like the goodies at a Cracker Barrel gift shop, but...Big Stone Gap proves to be...a nice change of pace from the summer popcorn-movie season.
It's tempting to say "Big Stone Gap" is greeting-card pretty and sweet, but that doesn't quite fit because these days greeting cards seem to have developed a bit of an edge. "Big Stone Gap" is edge-free.
