Angel-A (2007)

4/10

Ultimately Angel-A never takes flight, weighted down by an overabundance of metaphysical clichés stolen from other films.

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02/28/08

5/10

The film settles into a laid-back groove that is, how shall we say, endlessly boring.

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09/12/07

N/A

Angela's Oprah-ish effort to change Andre's lying ways becomes a tedious mix of self-help and pop-philosophizing . . . the film's black-and-white look is two shades more complex than its gender politics.

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09/11/07

4/5

Besson gives the movie a warmth and charm all its own...

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08/31/07

C+

The film is slickly constructed with a hip soundtrack and art direction, but its empty, a glowing travelogue for a beautiful city and two maudlin characters that are predictable and two dimensional. I love Paris too but would rather see its reality ....

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07/22/07

2.5/5

A gorgeous-looking film whose crisp, black-and-white photography is unfortunately much more thrilling than its simplistic, cloying story.

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07/19/07

3/5

Besson's black-and-white angel fantasy is a weak homage to Wings of Desire, if that's what he was shooting for.

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07/13/07

2/5

An ultimately dull nonaffair.

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07/13/07

3/5

It’s compelling largely due to its appealing cast.

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07/12/07

N/A

It's too bad it took so long for the film to get here, because it's not only the best part, it's also the very end.

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07/10/07

B-

It's a wisp of a film, recommendable for a lark, but not nearly as ambitious or entertaining as you'd expect from Besson.

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07/08/07

2.5/4

Angel-A is a not very persuasive argument on behalf of heavenly intercession, but its co-star, Rie Rasmussen, will make you believe in intelligent design.

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07/07/07

2/4

Besson... cribs heavily from Wings of Desire and Heaven Can Wait. If he had thought of it, he would have dressed someone in an Anaheim Angels jersey to elbow your ribs that much further.

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07/06/07

N/A

It's not flashy or bold, and it might not do much for cinephiles who prefer inveterate risk-taking, but it is enjoyable as a largely sentiment-free meditation on friendship and personal growth.

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07/06/07

2/4

...the characters here are so unlikable that it's hard to care what happens to them.

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07/06/07

3/4

What’s at once refreshing and disorienting about the way Luc Besson -- one of the most interesting international visionaries at work today -- handles the story is his attempt to de-romanticize one of the most idealistic and sublime formulas around.

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06/27/07

3.5/4

Luc Besson returns to his roots in this delightful, funny and stylish fantasy. Shot in gloriously crisp black and white, it's also a bit of a throwback to the French New Wave for its technique and dazzling location vignettes across Paris.

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06/22/07

C+

The sleek style and sassy attitude gets mired in a vague, soft-headed psychology of self-affirmation and daytime talk-show platitudes as the angel turns every encounter into a lesson in self-esteem and character building.

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06/21/07