We're No Angels (1989)
Bill Murdoch, Bruno Kirby, Demi Moore
It's hard to imagine what any of the extremely talented people involved in this drastic misfire were thinking. Certainly the film was not short of talent: it had director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game), writer David Mamet (The Untouchables), and movie stars Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, an... (read more) It's hard to imagine what any of the extremely talented people involved in this drastic misfire were thinking. Certainly the film was not short of talent: it had director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game), writer David Mamet (The Untouchables), and movie stars Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, and Demi Moore. Instead of remaking the charming 1955 comedy, which starred Humphrey Bogart and Peter Ustinov, Mamet concocted a virtually laugh-free script in which Penn and De Niro play escaped convicts disguised as priests who are supposedly visiting a shrine in a small town. The closest this film comes to comedy is De Niro's embarrassing mugging (it's endless) and Penn's dumb-bunny routine. Suggested for film students who want to learn what not to do. --Marshall Fine
Flixster Users
PG-13, 110 min.
Directed by:
Neil Jordan
Release Date: Dec 15, 1989
DVD Release Date: Feb 17, 2004
Your Rating
Your Friends' Ratings
No recent reviews.
Flixster User Reviews
Great formula, tries really hard, but the laughs just aren't there considering the people involved. This was when sean penn was mostly annoying.
This film gets a bad rap, and it's easy to see why, but 20+ years later, Neil Jordan's We're No Angels remake holds some interesting and entertaining treasures. De Niro and Penn make a wonderful comic duo, De Niro overracts in a few scenes, but it ad... (read more) This film gets a bad rap, and it's easy to see why, but 20+ years later, Neil Jordan's We're No Angels remake holds some interesting and entertaining treasures. De Niro and Penn make a wonderful comic duo, De Niro overracts in a few scenes, but it adds to the film's oddball charm. Penn plays a likable doofus who mostly relies on De Niro or others descisions. These two are on the run after busting out of jail and have to pose as priests in order to sneak into Canada. James Russo, playing their fellow jailbird, is a violent and dangerous outlaw, he kills gaurds and pedestrians without remorse. In comparison, De Niro and Penn's characters don't seem like they ever belonged in jail. The most they do on the outside is to steal some clothes. I'm not saying this is a flaw in the film, but either these two never really hurt anyone, or they were completlely reformed after a few years in prison. Besides De Niro and Penn, the fine attention to 1935 period detail is one of the most notable elements of the film. David Mamet's screeenplays has its ups and downs, and Jordan's direction never gets all that daring, but keeps the entertaining De Niro and Penn in every scene. Ovaerall We're No Angels is a light, fun comedy worth checking out for two entertaining if minor performances from Robert De Niro and Sean Penn.
oooohhhaahhhh its terrible... "he was in a comedy with little seany penn, he will never ever ever do that again.."
film tres sympa... sean penn est excellent dans ce film, une fois de plus...
Simply, this is the WORST FILM PERFORMANCE given by the great actor Robert De Niro - apologies since it was his "dream project". Even the normally brilliant Sean Penn miserably fails in this cut-out tired and dried comedy which simply does not work.... (read more) Simply, this is the WORST FILM PERFORMANCE given by the great actor Robert De Niro - apologies since it was his "dream project". Even the normally brilliant Sean Penn miserably fails in this cut-out tired and dried comedy which simply does not work. One full star only because of the presence of actors De Niro and Penn.
Muy divertida.Me gustó mucho verles juntos,Sean Penn y Robert Deniro con sus exagerados gestos..menudos dos..
Weird little curiousity. A bunch of very talented people set out to make a supposed comedy from a script with zero funny lines or situations. Why? Mamet is many good things, but he's no farcial comedy writer. Why?
Just, just terrible. It is a comedy, yet nothing in this film is funny. The usually great Penn and DeNiro are just god awful. Sean Penn uses this idiotic accent the entire movie that is a cross between I Am Sam and a lame DeNiro impression. DeNir... (read more) Just, just terrible. It is a comedy, yet nothing in this film is funny. The usually great Penn and DeNiro are just god awful. Sean Penn uses this idiotic accent the entire movie that is a cross between I Am Sam and a lame DeNiro impression. DeNiro also hamed it up and got a mouthful of scenery. Also, how stupid are the police? They are acting so suspiciously while on the run that anyone with two brain cells to rub together would see something is up. The whole movie is absolutly awful. Lastly, there is the required "wrong-person-in-the-confessional" gag in which one of the mentally challenged cops makes a confessional to DeNiro in a 'hilarious' scene. There is absolutly nothing redeming about this film, unless you are a Catholic-I am pretty sure it was Catholic propeganda put out by the Vatican.
Critic Reviews
No recent reviews.
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
All Rotten Tomatoes content is used under license from Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh, and the Tomatometer are the trademarks of Incfusion Corporation, d/b/a Rotten Tomatoes, a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc.
Cast
More Like This
No recent suggestions.
Bookmark This App
Make it easy to check out new movies! Click +Bookmark Movies at the bottom of your screen.
- Get Flixster
- iPhone (free!)
- Myspace
- Flixster.com
- iGoogle
- Settings
- Profile Settings
- My Account
- Help