Rockwell's never been a guy who makes a movie comfortable, but when he turns up in this film, he brings along a serious case of the willies.
Snow Angels (2008)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:106
Fresh:71
Rotten:35
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: With fine acting and considerable emotional depth, Snow Angels aptly captures the highs, and especially the lows of human relationships.
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Director David Gordon Green (GEORGE WASHINGTON) adds another carefully sculpted drama to his resume with SNOW ANGELS. Green deposits a strong cast in a snowbound Pennsylvania town for his fourth... Director David Gordon Green (GEORGE WASHINGTON) adds another carefully sculpted drama to his resume with SNOW ANGELS. Green deposits a strong cast in a snowbound Pennsylvania town for his fourth full-length feature, which revolves around the troubled teenage life of young Arthur (Michael Angarano). Arthur divides his time between working at a Chinese restaurant and dealing with the break up of his parents. His endearing lack of self-confidence is tempered when new-girl-in-town Lila (Olivia Thirlby) shows a romantic interest in him. Meanwhile, Arthur's co-worker and former babysitter, Annie (Kate Beckinsale), is trying to raise her child alone after the failure of her marriage to the unhinged Glenn (Sam Rockwell). Annie also embarks on an unwise affair with Nate (Nicky Katt), who happens to be married to her best friend. Green's central characters try to make the best of their modest lives until a major incident, dropped halfway through the movie, raises the tension between Annie and Glenn to breaking point. Beckinsale, Rockwell, and Angarano all deliver consummate performances, and they are joined by a strong supporting cast that includes Griffin Dunne and a rare straight role for comedian Amy Sedaris. Green's style, so often compared to that of Terrence Malick, takes a slightly different turn here as the director delivers a relatively straightforward thriller. But the change suits him, and SNOW ANGELS contains enough edge-of-your-seat tension to keep audiences curious as to where the director is going to take them. [More]
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, Michael Angarano, Jeannetta Arnette
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, Michael Angarano, Jeannetta Arnette, Griffin Dunne, Nicky Katt, Tom Noonan, Amy Sedaris, Olivia Thirlby
Director: David Gordon Green
Director: David Gordon Green
Screenwriter: David Gordon Green
Producer: Lisa Muskat, Dan Lindau, Cami Taylor, Paul Miller
Composer: David Wingo, Jeff McIlwain
Studio: Warner Independent
Reviews for Snow Angels
For a film full of murder, jealousy and fatalism, Snow Angels feels curiously small and anecdotal, and its impact diminishes as it nears its terrible conclusion.
...something like an extremely elegant episode of 'The Jerry Springer Show.'
There are about two or three different films fighting for control of the screen during David Gordon Green's powerful but flawed Snow Angels
...in the end the movie feels like tragedy propped up as art with overworked art direction and misdirected male actors.
In spite of strong performances and a characteristically vivid sense of place, the film feels disjointed and heavy.
Writer-director David Gordon Green's brave and magnificently performed period piece (mid-'70s) witnesses an adolescent's first romance as it blossoms amid a dissonant backdrop of disintegrating marriages.
An uneven, at times even comic tone spoils the grim beauty of Stewart O’Nan’s novel about disintegrating marriages and adolescent disillusion in a rust belt town.
In it's painfully accurate portrayal of characters struggling to make their way in a world that oftentimes seems cruelly unfair and confusing, Snow Angels rings resoundingly true.
Snow Angels is such a fascinating smorgasbord of flawed behavior that it exerts the voyeuristic pull of a first-rate small-town soap opera.
Lacks distinctiveness that would lift it above middle-of-the-road domestic drama.
This tepid melodrama, however, shows that the filmmaker hasn’t found a way to use his considerable strengths to enliven stock material just yet.
Blessed with wonderful material and cast, Green, who again shows his respect for the naturalism of real moments, steers clear of soap opera or familiar melodrama.
It’s one of the most relentlessly honest and bleakly disturbing mirrors to American despair since American Beauty, at half the price.
This small town portrait isn’t eccentric; it’s just an indie-agnostic Peyton Place.
Green keeps mum until the end, charging his tale with an effective (if manipulative) aura of suspense.
I just don't know anyone that I could recommend this sober film to go see. Yes, Rockwell is impressive, but it's in a role I would rather forget.
On par with Little Children in terms of the writing and performances, including one of Kate Beckinsale's shining moments.
Latest News for Snow Angels
September 22, 2008:
Powerful performances all around, but too many tangled and twisted family trees. Scorecard, please. ![]()
More...
July 17, 2008:
David Gordon Green: From Indie Auteur to Pineapple Express ![]()
David Gordon Green might seem like an unusual choice to direct Pineapple Express, but as it turns out, the man behind the camera for Snow Angels and All the Real Girls was a... More...
March 16, 2008:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Horton Hears Cash Registers Ring at Box Office
North American film fans heard the call of the elephant and stampeded to the box office to see the animated Dr. Seuss pic Horton Hears a Who, which enjoyed the largest opening... More...
March 14, 2008:
Powerful performances all around, but too many tangled and twisted family trees. Scorecard, please. ![]()
More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Snow Angels at Rotten Tomatoes
- Snow Angels at IGN
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

