All the heart tugging in this world (and beyond) fails to generate anything worth believing here.
A Rumor of Angels (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:29
Fresh:10
Rotten:19
Average Rating:4.7/10
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Peter O'Fallon's heartwarming drama tells the uplifting story of an unlikely friendship between an emotionally scarred young boy and a mournful older woman. Twelve-year-old James Neubauer (Trevor... Peter O'Fallon's heartwarming drama tells the uplifting story of an unlikely friendship between an emotionally scarred young boy and a mournful older woman. Twelve-year-old James Neubauer (Trevor Morgan) has never fully healed from the traumatic loss of his mother in a car accident. His father (Ray Liotta) has chosen to pretend it never happened, throwing himself headlong into work and a new life with James' stepmother (Catherine McCormack). For these reasons, James harbors a deep resentment for his father. The only friend he has is his quirky Uncle Charlie (Ron Livingston), but even Charlie is unable to provide the consolation James needs. Salvation miraculously arrives in the form of Maddy Bennett (Vanessa Redgrave), a local recluse who is still healing from a great loss of her own. When James accidentally breaks Maddy's fence, she demands that he fix it himself. What is initially a defensive, stubborn battle of egos slowly changes into an extremely close relationship that crosses all boundaries and helps both James and Maddy to confront and conquer their demons. Filmed with sensitivity, A RUMOR OF ANGELS boasts beautiful scenery, inspiring music by Mozart, and yet another unforgettable performance by the legendary Redgrave. [More]
Starring: Trevor Morgan, Vanessa Redgrave, Catherine McCormack, Ray Liotta
Starring: Trevor Morgan, Vanessa Redgrave, Catherine McCormack, Ray Liotta, Ron Livingston, George Coe
Director: Peter O'Fallon
Director: Peter O'Fallon
Screenwriter: Jamie Horton, Peter O'Fallon, James Eric
Producer: Lisa Hansen, Paul Hertzberg, Peter O'Fallon
Composer: Tim Simonec
Studio: MGM/UA
Reviews for A Rumor of Angels
The actors don't inhabit their roles -- they're trapped by them, forced to change behavior in bizarre unjustified fashion and spout dialog that consists mostly of platitudes.
No amount of good intentions is able to overcome the triviality of the story.
A spiritual exploration of sorts, offering a message of hope that resonates.
Short-story quaint, touchingly mending a child's pain for his dead mother via communication with an old woman straight out of Eudora Welty.
That death is merely a transition is a common tenet in the world's religions. This deeply spiritual film taps into the meaning and consolation in afterlife communications.
It's a humble effort, but spiced with wry humor and genuine pathos, especially between Morgan and Redgrave.
Denver should not get the first and last look at one of the most triumphant performances of Vanessa Redgrave's career. It deserves to be seen everywhere.
The screenplay by James Eric, James Horton and director Peter O'Fallon ... is so pat it makes your teeth hurt.
What's most offensive isn't the waste of a good cast, but the film's denial of sincere grief and mourning in favor of bogus spiritualism.
Rumor, a muddled drama about coming to terms with death, feels impersonal, almost generic.
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