This clumsy comic fable, which mixes Catholic themes, family infighting and a flurry of lame wisecracks, is no gift from God.
Comment
04/04/03
Manna From Heaven (2002)
18
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:4
Rotten:18
Average Rating:4.1/10
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: MANNA FROM HEAVEN is a witty fable about what happens when you get a gift from God (a financial windfall), but many years later you find out it was a just a loan -- and it’s due immediately.... [More]
Starring: Shirley Jones, Cloris Leachman, Ursula Burton, Louise Fletcher
Reviews for Manna From Heaven
Like manna, the movie is sweet but a little thin.
11/05/03
The root of the problem lies in a script so foul that it's amazing the film is as good as it actually is. Which is to say: this close to scraping bottom.
09/09/02
Like a homemade scarf, Manna from Heaven is warm, fuzzy and clearly made with love. At times it's easy to overlook the clumsiness of the way it's stitched together.
09/09/02
It would be better if it weren't quite so sitcommy and if it didn't outlast its ideas.
04/03/03
Too cute by half and at least a half-hour too long.
04/07/03
Top CriticA flimsy, overcomplicated little comedy that--despite the title--is hardly a gift to audiences, divine or otherwise.
11/11/03
There's a calculated stab at 'feel-good' afoot here, but, more often than not, the film just feels tired.
04/26/03
You may pull a muscle trying not to cringe as such long-time screen veterans as Shirley Jones, Cloris Leachman and Frank Gorshin embarrass themselves with over-the-top performances.
10/10/03
The Burtons' hearts are in the right place, but they need to get more tough-minded.
04/03/03
Top CriticA bit amateurish, but wholesome and achingly sweet.
04/04/03
Though its heart is in the right place, this would-be feel-good sensation never puts the other pieces together.
04/03/03
The quality of the film doesn't quite match the loving care placed into it.
12/05/03
You can tell what Manna wants to be -- a light-hearted-yet-profound, feel-good flick in the same vein as It's a Wonderful Life -- but it falls woefully short.
10/23/03
The five sisters responsible for the old-fashioned fable 'Manna From Heaven' have a lot of plates spinning in the air -- but even their 10 hands aren't enough to overcome the hokey, overstuffed plot and a messily hand-stitched, often illogical script.
04/04/03
It's shot like a Lifetime-influenced student film, and the overall artlessness makes the spoony dialogue all the more glaring.
04/08/03
Manna from Heaven is a creakily old-fashioned screed about Christian selflessness and charity, staged and shot like a Lifetime movie-of-the-week.
03/19/03
The movie's cloying cuteness and homespun sanctimony make the low production values even harder to forgive.
10/17/03
Like a hand-knitted sweater, it's a little lumpy and ill-fitting, but it has a wonderful texture and attractive color and is just fine for making you feel warm and cozy.
11/03/02
While it would be easy to fault its lack of technical polish, somewhat discursive script and uneven performances, it is also refreshingly sincere, gentle and good-natured.
04/03/03
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