Children On Their Birthdays

Truman Capote's richly atmospheric short stories and novellas have always been attractive to filmmakers, who rarely have the sensitivity to capture Capote's bittersweet longing for acceptance. Nothing much happens in Medda, Alabama: Having lost his father during WWII, 13-year old Billy Bob Murphy (Joe Pichler) is trying to earn enough money to travel to the upcoming World Series and root for the Cardinals. Billy Bob and his best friend, Preacher Stur (Jesse Premons), do odd jobs for resident mechanic Speedy Thorne (Christopher MacDonald), but in 1947 two new arrivals shake up Billy Bob's priorities. First, impresario Lionel Quince (Tom Arnold) and his glamorous wif...