veteran waitress (Deborah Harry) and a young waitress (Liv Tyler), and had a regular customer whose name was Leo, not Joe, although he was played by Joe Grifasi. Also echoing in the caverns of my memory were several other movies about stalwart women running cafes and striding above the local gossip: The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, Fried Green Tomatoes, Staying Together and of course Bagdad Cafe." Ebert also reviewed the film with Gene Siskel, each giving a thumbs down. Robert Roten of the Laramie Movie Scope wrote "this light character study explodes into a full blown melodrama at the end using a bunch of tired old clichés, like misplaced money, your standard hermit in the woods and an almost laughably melodramatic drowning. Give us a break. With a more imaginative story, this could have been a great movie, but as it is, it's just a C+." The Spitfire Grill currently holds a 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 29 reviews. Accolades Audience Award Dramatic - 1996 Sundance Film Festival Home video It was released on DVD both in 1999 and again under the Warner Archive label in 2013. It is available for digital purchase on Amazon Prime. References External links Sundance Film Festival award winners Films about Catholicism Films about Christianity Films set in Maine Films shot in Vermont Castle Rock Entertainment films Films scored by James Horner Columbia Pictures films 1990s English-language films Films set in restaurants American independent films 1996 independent films