Predrag
"We're No Angels" is a movie made for those faces, and one of the pleasures of watching the film is to see them looking sidelong at each other as they try to figure a way out of the complicated mess they're in. The movie has a lot of other good stuff to look at (including dramatic period locations in a small Canadian town) and to listen to (dialogue by David Mamet), but I can think of no other recent movie in which so much of the pleasure lies in watching the expressions on the faces of the actors - especially when they're reacting, not talking. Mamet and Neil Jordan, who directed the movie, wisely remember the most important thing about any mistaken- identity comedy: The fact that someone's identity is mistaken is not always funny even the first time and rarely thereafter. Movies that depend on mistaken identities for their laughs are among the slowest, dreariest slogs through cinema.Too bad that the film came out to be both simplistic and ordinary despite of the talent involved especially when it features De Niro and Penn,two of the best actors in Hollywood; and Jordan,one of the finest director of the industry.There were a lot of boring moments.Also,it just turned out to be somewhat corny and provides minimal laughter in a lot of scenes.Overall,it was definitely a misfire from the cast and the director involved as it does not live up to its potential.Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
David_Brown
I have seen the original and this is a rare remake that surpasses the original. What it really is about is how the Power Of God can improve the lives of four people who really needed him. Ned (Robert DeNiro), Jim (Sean Penn), Molly (Demi Moore), and her daughter. Obviously, the daughter being able to speak and the affect on Molly (Regaining her faith) was most important, but also how Jim was chosen to give a Sermon, and as he said it was the first time he "Ever won anything." This led him down a path that God had planned for him, which is learning how to become a Priest, and influence others in his new identity as "Father Brown." Ned, gains the least of the four (Although getting Demi Moore is not bad), but his role is the most important because he is the one who jumps in and tries to save the little girl and the presence of the statute of the Virgin Mary saves both of them. My favorite part of the film is where the girl speaks to The Translator" (Wallace Shawn), and says they are conv... before going to sleep, and he thought they were converts not convicts. He said is this true? Ned says don't good works count for anything? When he said converts instead of convicts, Ned said we were born Lutherans, and The Translator said "God Forgives You." That part followed by the ending where Ned and Molly go to Canada, and he hints to her about plans, and she says what plans? And he says all in good time, while Ned remains behind to become a monk. It shows the different paths that Ned and Jim will take while still being free. 10/10 Stars.
Frank Dudley Berry, Jr.
Everyone knows what a black comedy is. But is there is such a thing as a white comedy? I think so, and I think this is one of them. In the same way that '21 Grams' works a fairly serious portrayal of a crisis of faith into a tense melodramatic thriller, 'We're No Angels' actually masks some serious thoughtfulness about the importance of faith and hope into a decently funny comedy of mistaken identity. It also illustrates concretely the truth of C.S. Lewis's famous dictum (from the Screwtape Letters)that all men become what they are pretending to be.The movie is very plotty and all the loose points neatly wrapped up. What a lot of the critics have missed is that all of the jokes are thematic, and tied to the central topics of the movie.I am not at all conventionally religious, but I do appreciate faith, and I liked this movie quite a bit.
trailfiasco
I was aghast at and distracted by the over the top mannerisms of both DeNiro and Penn in the staring roles. I know that this was supposed to be a comedy/drama, but all that head bobbing was too much. Not that all of the other roles were something to write home about. The priests and monks were caricatures as were the warden and his bunch of deputies. Demi Moore added little but a gratuitous nude scene and a lot of senseless yelling. The ending was a predictable mix of worldly and spiritual resolution, but most interesting to me would be what happens after the end of the movie when all the secrets are uncovered between Demi and DeNiro. Why did I watch it if it bothered me that much? Well, my wife liked it because of the religious underpinnings and sentimentality. I guess between the two of us it averaged a 5 just like the overall rating.
AD
