Empire Falls (2005) - Every small town has a big story.

Danielle Panabaker as: Tick Roby
Other Cast: Ed Harris, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt, Paul Newman, Robin Wright Penn, Aidan Quinn, Joanne Woodward
Release Date: May 28, 2005 (US)
Directed by: Fred Schepisi
Writers: Richard Russo
Genre: Drama, Romance
Runtime: 197 min
Distributed by: HBO Films

This two-part miniseries event tells the humorous, poignant story of a declining New England town and its inhabitants, whose lives are deeply rooted in and influenced by the Knox River and its vacant mills, their class differences, and ghosts of the past.
At the center of the story is Miles Roby (Ed Harris), for whom the promising opportunities of youth have given way to the demands of family obligations, especially those concerning his cantankerous father Max (Paul Newman) and impressionable daughter Tick (Danielle Panabaker).
Unable to escape the town or the dominating shadow of Francine Whiting (Joanne Woodward), who owns the restaurant he runs, Miles copes with a recent divorce from wife Janine (Helen Hunt) while piecing together the shared events that shaped the lives (revealed in flashbacks) of his mother Grace (Robin Wright Penn) and Francine's late husband C.B. (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Through Miles' experiences, EMPIRE FALLS pays tribute to the resilience of lifelong friends and neighbors, inextricably bound for generations into a rich and varied social fabric.

- Jerry Goldsmith agreed to do the score, but died before he was able to finish it.

- The football game in the movie was actually a scrimmage match between the local high school football teams, Skowhegan High School and Waterville High School. Most of the extras in the stands were residents of both towns.

- The final on-screen acting project for Paul Newman.

- Matthew McConaughey was asked to play the young version of Paul Newman's character. He turned it down.

- Continuity: During the wedding scene, Horace goes from having his left hand in his lap to holding a cup between shots.

- Continuity: When Miles and Tick are sitting at the restaurant bar, the camera cuts from the two of them to a close up. When it returns a Sprite can magically appears in front of Tick.

Tick Roby: [to Miles] This is John Voss. Uncle David said we needed a new busboy.
David Roby: [to Miles] Take a look at Brian. He looks like a walking appetite suppressant!
Brian: [stumbles into back kitchen area] Hey, Miles!
Miles Roby: Brian, come here for a minute.
[looks at Brian's infected face]
Miles Roby: You gotta go home!
Brian: What do you mean? I can't help it! Something bit me. I can still work.
Miles Roby: Yeah, but people got to eat here.
[takes Brian's busboy bin]
Miles Roby: Go home!

---

Maz Roby: You're ready to come home?
Tick Roby: Can we?
Maz Roby: Ask your father, not me. Old men don't get to vote. Old men gotta keep their mouth shut and do as they're told like they're stupid.

"He's (Miles) trapped by his affection for his dying mother, and what her dreams for him were, and not trying to betray those dreams. He gets into this situation coming home to Empire Falls and taking over that restaurant because of his love for her, and his refusal to abandon her when she gets ill. So he's trapped by the past, and by decisions that he's made in the past... But the other great love of his life, of course, is his daughter. And it's her future that he's thinking of all the time. Even as he can think of things that he could do to make himself happier, they all seem to compromise his beloved daughter, Tick."
- Richard Russo

"it's a wonderful cast. I've always wanted to work with Paul Newman. I had a couple opportunities in the past, and I didn't take advantage of it, so it was really fun to be working with him. And you go down the line, Joanne Woodward, Helen Hunt, Aidan Quinn, Robin Wright, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Theresa Russell, Dennis Farina, Kate Burton, Danielle Pannabaker who plays my daughter... Just a bunch of wonderful actors and what's so neat about it is that, I get a chance to interact with all of these people, playing the character that I do. And so, I get a chance to work with all of these different actors at different times."
- Ed Harris

"She's (Francine Whiting played by Joanne Woodward) like the all-knowing God that you never see, but you know is there. She's always watching. She knows what goes on. She's extremely powerful and is a great manipulator, which I think makes her the most interesting of characters. She has the power."
- Danielle Panabaker

"Miles' character has so much to cope with during the course of the movie, and one of the relationships is with his daughter, Tick, and their relationship is a very strong one, but it's certainly put to the test during the course of this movie because Tick's mother Janine (Helen Hunt) is getting remarried to a man that Tick absolutely hates."
- Danielle Panabaker

01. PHOTOS: Episode Stills, Posters, DVD Captures & more of Danielle Panabaker as Tick Roby.

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03. OFFICIAL: Visit the official website for Empire Falls(2005).