Small Town, Big Movie

Adriana Trigiani says it took 13 years to bring her beloved book “Big Stone Gap” to the big screen.

And, she refused to shoot anywhere else but where the story took root, Big Stone Gap, Va.

For the novelist-turned-director, it was more than worth the wait. It’s a story that could only be told in smalltown U.S.A.

“I don’t understand why American movies can’t be made in America,” said Trigiani, particularly one like “Gap,” which pays tribute to proud coal mine workers.

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“Just because you can make a little extra money shooting it elsewhere (with tax incentives), that’s not good enough anymore,” she said. “Movies are a living art form. They last for all time when properly cared for. American movies about American workers should be made in America. I love Canada, but I can’t fake Big Stone Gap in Canada.”

And the world is watching, she said.

“We need our American stories. When you travel the world, that’s what they wanna hear,” she said.

“Big Stone Gap” is nothing if not authentically driven by small-town life. The story follows Ave Maria (Kentucky native Ashley Judd) as she struggles her chronic single status. Will her longtime beau (John Benjamin Hickey) finally take their courtship to the next level, or is the handsome Jack (Patrick Wilson) meant to woo her? The cast includes Whoopi Goldberg, Jane Krakowski, Jenna Elfman and Anthony LaPaglia.

“Most of the actors don’t come from glamorous backgrounds,” Trigiani said, noting Judd’s eastern Kentucky roots and Elfman’s Pennsylvania heritage. “Their sensitivity and ability to put those old, comfortable shoes on from their past … made it very cohesive.”

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It helped that Trigiani and company corralled actual Big Stone Gap residents to flesh out the cast. They didn’t simply serve as extras. They interacted generously with the main stars. “It’s a Wonderful Life” director Frank Capra used “real faces” in his movies, she said. “Big Stone Gap” follows in that tradition.

“I love Canada, but I can’t fake Big Stone Gap in Canada.”

“If I ever got the opportunity to make a movie, I’d make a movie in my hometown using real local talent going toe-to-toe with real movie stars, and it works. You can’t tell,” she said. “They’re not just standing there filming the scenes. They’re very engaged, and you’ve got this air of authenticity to it.”

Trigiani, best known for books such as the “Big Stone Gap” series and “Lucia, Lucia,” said Hollywood used to make more movies about small-town living. She said over the decades economic necessities pushed that brand of storytelling out of the mainstream. It’s why she’s glad “Big Stone Gap” is in theaters, not available via video-on-demand outlets.

If moviegoers don’t show up in sufficient numbers, though, these kind of small-town movies may remain a minor part of the big picture, she said.

“The audience must demand it, have a night out and say, ‘This has to be part of our lives again,’ ” she said. “I’d like to see this movie have an impact — a small-town resurgence.”