Angela's Ashes Rating (out of five): **1/2 Starring Emily Watson, Robert Carlyle, Joseph Breen, Ciaran Owens, Michael Legge, Shane Murray-Corcoran, Ronnie Masterson and Pauline McLynn Directed by Alan Parker Written by Laura Jones (based on the memoirs of Frank McCourt) Rated R for profanity, nudity and vileness Theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 Released in 1999 Running 145 minutes
I've never been one to subscribe to any kind of standardized rules for filmmaking, but one thing I do believe is that every movie should have a point. Otherwise, it's just a waste of time.
While some movies may exist simply as eye-candy and may not persue any lofty, artistic objectives, at least they have their sights set on something - entertainment. What's so frustrating about Alan Parker's latest film, Angela's Ashes, is that it's void of any narrative aspirations whatsoever. While it may be full of outstanding performances and skillful direction, all it really amounts to is two hours and twenty minutes of rain, sickness, death, rain, and humiliation. Did I mention the rain?
Perhaps all this is supposed to serve as a metaphor for the poverty-stricken childhood of Frank McCourt, who came of age in the turbulent landscape of pre-WWII Limerick. One of six children (three of which die before the film's twenty minute mark) growing up in the Irish slums during the late 1930's, McCourt did eventually escape from poverty to America, where he wrote the best-selling memoir upon which the movie is based.
The critical cliché has been to dismiss the film version of Angela's Ashes for being dry of the apparent wit and livelihood that peppered McCourt's original memoirs. Having not read his book, I can't jump on that bandwagon, and thus wish to point out another glaring folly; while the movie is definitely without any humor or relief, it's also mind-numbing in its tedium. Really, how many times can one watch an infant die from malnutrition, only to have their father go out and drink away the family income? It's depressing, disconcerting, and, above all, totally without point. I don't need to see the same thing in succession in order to realize what a horrible childhood McCourt suffered.
Not that I have anything against films dealing with depressing themes; some of my favorite movies include such classic downers as Last Tango in Paris and Leaving Las Vegas, as well as the more recent, though equally bleak, Magnolia. What separates these films from the likes of Angela's Ashes is their tendency towards emotional catharsis. On the contrary, this film features the most anticlimactic ending in recent memory.
What disappoints me most about Angela's Ashes is the amount of talent that went into it, only to come up with something so mediocre. There's no arguing the skills of actress Emily Watson (who plays the title role of Angela), and Robert Carlyle (as the imposing drunken father) is emerging as one of the best character actors around. Indeed, they are both nearly flawless in their respective roles. With a director as talented as Alan Parker (Angel Heart, The Commitments) helming the production, you'd think that nothing could possibly go wrong.
In my eyes, many things did go wrong. But maybe, just maybe, Angela's Ashes has turned out exactly as the filmmakers intended. In fact, perhaps the movie did have a point after all - to harbor awards. Before opening day, it had some of the heaviest Oscar buzz around, no doubt generated by the subject matter alone. Now that it has opened, however, it has revealed itself to be a drab, murky bore.
Copyright 2000 Jason Wallis
*Find all of Jason's reviews at http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/7475
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