Until her mother (Clarkson) falls terminally ill and she decides to make amends by cooking a Thanksgiving turkey for her estranged parents and siblings.

With enough emotional turmoil to fill five seasons of Dawson's Creek to contend with, the last thing April needs is a broken oven.

And so we encounter a melee of eccentric neighbours (including the hilariously camp and neurotic Wayne - played by Sean Hayes - Jack from Will and Grace).

As April struggles with lunch, the rest of the family journeys to New York City, and contends with demons of relationships ruined and time running out.

Oliver Platt plays the diplomatic dad to perfection. His wife's eccentric outbursts and his daughter's rebellious past appear only to cement his love and loyalty towards them.

Platt's portrayal of a man about to lose his wife and attempting to reconnect with his daughter is the most moving aspect of an under-dramatized yet emotionally charged film.

The film has some wonderful moments, mostly played out by Clarkson and Platt, and Derek Luke, who first came to light in Denzel Washington's directorial debut Antoine Fisher, plays April's boyfriend Bobby with the fresh charm of a Hollywood novice. Natalie Stone