Empire Falls

Harris plays Miles Roby, manager of the Empire Grill, in this drama directed by Fred Schepisi from the novel by Richard Russo. This slice-of-life film centers on Roby and his life in the small town of Empire Falls as people come and go into his diner and life: his ex-wife, his daughter, the wealthiest man in town. Co-starring Paul Newman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt, and Robin Wright.

Well, it’s a great novel, I mean I really enjoyed it, I had read it prior to any knowledge of this film being made and then reread it of course several times. It’s just really rich and it’s about human beings trying to do their best, it’s about progress, you know, it’s not about corporate, military-industrial road-building, building cheap houses, building strip malls…that kind of progress. It’s about the progress of the human soul and it’s rich that way.