Meanwhile, Willis and Emma go fishing with Boyle and Jack. The screenplay is by Anne Rapp, and the film was produced by Willi Baer. The film was shot on location in Holly Springs, Mississippi. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1999, and was entered into the 49th Berlin International Film Festival, held in February 1999. "Cookie's Fortune" was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on April 2, 1999, and grossed $186,828 during its opening weekend. The release eventually expanded to 559 theaters, and remained in theaters for a total of 279 days, ultimately grossing $10.9 million.  , the film had an 86% approval rating on the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Kevin Thomas of the "Los Angeles Times" praised the film as "a gem among the fabled director’s ensemble movies, a Southern charmer—full of good humor and mature wisdom—that views human foibles with the bemused compassion of a Jean Renoir...  [it is a] beautiful, beguiling film." Desson Howe of "The Washington Post" gave the film modest praise, writing: "By reducing his passion for actorly preciousness, Western Union symbolism and klutzy metaphor, Altman functions instead as a good manager of a decently written product. And he adheres sensibly to the filmmaking style that has served him for decades: introduce the actors to this moss-covered, indolent world, then leave them to sort things out in time for the ending. It's a simple formula but it works fine, even in the sleepiest of situations." The soundtrack is by David A. Stewart. The soundtrack album was released on April 2, 1999. It features appearances by saxophonist Candy Dulfer. All songs are by Stewart except "Cookie", "Camilla's Prayer" and "Patrol Car Blues", which are by Dulfer and Stewart. Jerry Markbreit  Jerry Markbreit (born March 23, 1935) is a former American football referee in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons and became one of the most recognizable referees in the game. Markbreit officiated football games for 43 seasons. From 1965 to 1975, Markbreit officiated college football games in the Big Ten Conference. He then joined the NFL in 1976 as a line judge on the crew of Tommy Bell before being promoted to the head referee position in just his second year. His uniform number in the league was 9, which is now worn by Mark Perlman.