We're No Angels

Unexpectedly raucous comedy which trades off a few laughs for an interesting religious spin. Jordan can thank his lucky stars, but give himself a massive, stubborn pat on the back while he's at it. Read full review

De Niro's gift for pantomime, glimpsed in his plumber for Brazil, is a non-stop bombardment of mugging on the silent screen scale. There isn't much left for Penn, which is okay by me. Very entertaining. Read full review

It's a feather-light fantasy bouyed by faith, hope and good will. [15 Dec 1989, p.12]

De Niro and Penn are both essentially serious dramatic actors, and maybe the reality of the location gave them such a solid grounding that they felt they had permission for the necessary goofiness. Read full review

It works, in the end, because its generous emotions are earned. De Niro mugs a bit, but Penn is surprisingly endearing as a naive young criminal looking for a little peace of mind. Read full review

This is one light, intriguing film that seems heaven-sent for the holidays. [15 Dec 1989, p.G5]

Neil Jordan (Mona Lisa) makes a fine comeback after his fall with High Spirits, by directing with as witty a touch as the Mamet script requires. [15 Dec 1989, p.E1]

Penn and de Niro are wonderful as the changelings, trying to adjust to a community of goodness after one of badness. They speak English with an accent as thick as an elephant's hide and they make faces that communicate far beyond words. They work well under the direction of Neil Jordan, who steers the movie on its fine course between comedy and drama. [17 Dec 1989, p.7]

We're No Angels proves that a great ensemble is no guarantee of a great movie -- but it also proves that the misses of the brilliant can still give you something extraordinary. [15 Dec 1989, p.F12]

We're No Angels is a small, quiet film trapped inside a big, noisy one; no longer a tale of transcendence, its a sad lesson in the weight of Hollywood machinery. [15 Dec 1989, p.C]

The movie proceeds at the pace of a child reluctant to go to bed. It dawdles over irrelevant details and grows sleepier and sleepier until it seems to be snoozing, though still standing up. Read full review

We're No Angels is far from heavenly. It never even gets off the ground. Read full review

Pug-faced, slack-jawed and marble-mouthed, De Niro and Penn mug their semiarticulate proles with relish, but as religioso fish out of water their con game becomes a tiresome joke. Read full review

Though Penn and a heavily mugging De Niro earn their share of chuckles, you leave this comedy scratching your head at the nutty incongruity of the endeavor. What were these talented people thinking? [25 Dec 1989, p.74B]

Hollywood must still have some wheezy hacks capable of gleaning a few chuckles out of the hoary Convicts-Disguised-as-Priests movie premise. But to paraphrase Groucho Marx, Someone, please, get us a hack; David Mamet's We're No Angels script can't find them. [15 Dec 1989, p.6D]

This We're No Angels isn't funny and it isn't smart -- it's a dumb show, almost literally, in fact. So few lines have been written for these actors that you almost believe that the script intentionally parodies their renowned inarticulateness. Read full review

What are two of America’s top dramatic actors, a serious playwright, and a hard-boiled British director doing in We’re No Angels, a meaningless stab at film comedy? Failing badly, that’s what. Read full review

Neil Jordan's re-working of Michael Curtiz's 1954 film We're No Angels is a woefully shoddy, misfiring, and mis-conceived affair typical of the director's frequent forays into Hollywood. Read full review