HBO Films
TORONTO -- "Angel" finds filmmaker Jim McKay once again implementing his intimate cinema verite style to survey the complicated lives of Brooklyn adolescents.
But coming after "Our Song", his uplifting 2000 film about three high school girlfriends who are members of a community marching band, his latest is a bit of a letdown.
Collaborating with screenwriter Hannah Weyer ("La Escuela"), McKay explores the relationship between, Angel (Jonan Everett) a bright but troubled inner-city teen, and Nicole, his well-meaning counselor ("Six Feet Under"'s Rachel Griffiths).
Kicked out of his home for quarrelling with his father's girlfriend, Angel is taken under the motherly wing of Nicole, who provides him with temporary residence at the apartment she shares with her husband ("Take Me Out"'s Denis O'Hare).
It proves to be an uneasy dynamic. Angel's a capable young man, but he's got a hair-trigger temper and given to acting out by lying, stealing and squandering opportunities that come his way.
Nicole, meanwhile, is pregnant for the first time and after serving as a parental figure for others, she's a little nervous about her abilities to nurture a child of her own.
As an alternative to those "one man can make a difference" inspirational studio movies from "Lean on Me" to "Coach Carter", "Angel" conveys the more realistic message that the fixes aren't so easy--the best of intentions can carry their own set of problems.
But despite some neatly understated yet complex performances by Griffiths and newcomer Everett, the film has a tendency to meander from scene to scene without ever sufficiently engaging the viewer--unless, of course, watching Griffiths eat a bowl of cereal in real-time holds some kind of more deeply rewarding significance.
TORONTO -- "Angel" finds filmmaker Jim McKay once again implementing his intimate cinema verite style to survey the complicated lives of Brooklyn adolescents.
But coming after "Our Song", his uplifting 2000 film about three high school girlfriends who are members of a community marching band, his latest is a bit of a letdown.
Collaborating with screenwriter Hannah Weyer ("La Escuela"), McKay explores the relationship between, Angel (Jonan Everett) a bright but troubled inner-city teen, and Nicole, his well-meaning counselor ("Six Feet Under"'s Rachel Griffiths).
Kicked out of his home for quarrelling with his father's girlfriend, Angel is taken under the motherly wing of Nicole, who provides him with temporary residence at the apartment she shares with her husband ("Take Me Out"'s Denis O'Hare).
It proves to be an uneasy dynamic. Angel's a capable young man, but he's got a hair-trigger temper and given to acting out by lying, stealing and squandering opportunities that come his way.
Nicole, meanwhile, is pregnant for the first time and after serving as a parental figure for others, she's a little nervous about her abilities to nurture a child of her own.
As an alternative to those "one man can make a difference" inspirational studio movies from "Lean on Me" to "Coach Carter", "Angel" conveys the more realistic message that the fixes aren't so easy--the best of intentions can carry their own set of problems.
But despite some neatly understated yet complex performances by Griffiths and newcomer Everett, the film has a tendency to meander from scene to scene without ever sufficiently engaging the viewer--unless, of course, watching Griffiths eat a bowl of cereal in real-time holds some kind of more deeply rewarding significance.
- 9/15/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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