Angela's Ashes (1999)
Average Rating: 5.7/10
Reviews Counted: 85
Fresh: 44 | Rotten: 41
In spite of its attempts to accurately record Frank McCourt's memoirs, the onscreen adaptation fails to capture any of the drama or humor of his life.
Average Rating: 5.3/10
Critic Reviews: 26
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 16
In spite of its attempts to accurately record Frank McCourt's memoirs, the onscreen adaptation fails to capture any of the drama or humor of his life.
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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 22,306
Movie Info
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir by Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes is an alternately funny and heartbreaking look at growing up in Ireland. Born in Brooklyn, NY, young Frank (Joe Breen) moves at an early age to Limerick, Ireland, with his parents Angela (Emily Watson) and Malachy (Robert Carlyle), who have been unable to support their family in America and are hoping for better prospects in their home country. But things hardly improve once they settle in Limerick; as McCourt puts it,
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Cast
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Emily Watson
Angela McCourt -
Robert Carlyle
Malachy McCourt -
Joe Breen
Young Frank -
Ciaran Owens
Middle Frank -
Michael Legge
Older Frank -
Ronnie Masterson
Grandma Sheehan -
Pauline McLynn
Aunt Aggie -
Liam Carney
Uncle Pa Keating -
Eanna Mac Liam
Uncle Pat -
Andrew Bennett
Narrator -
-
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All Critics (109) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (41) | DVD (16)
The film is too often trapped in its own reverence and solemnity.
Top CriticMostly misses the humor, lyricism and emotional charge of Frank McCourt's magical and magnificent memoir.
Mostly it's a series of visits to the welfare line.
A tedious, vastly disappointing film that does not do justice to the wonderful and touching book upon which it is based.
Sometimes humorous and wholly inspiring tale.
I enjoyed the relentless gloomy realism, the refusal to put a happy face on McCourt's miserable childhood.
Misses the mark as an exceptional drama yet manages to vividly convey the soul-shattering effects of poverty.
Like bread without yeast, 'Angela's Ashes' minus the author's wit can't rise to meet expectations.
A dreary, ultimately punishing adaptation of Frank McCourt's memoir, where every other scene has somebody either getting sick, puking or dying.
I am pleased to announce that this film is a fine, a beautiful presentation of a painful story.
Alan Parker logra uno de sus mejores trabajos en lo que es un tributo al espíritu humano que ofrece lo mejor de sí en medio de las peores adversidades
a long, exhausting, almost completely humorless chronicle of misery, shame, and hardship
It feels like it is going nowhere very slowly.
Parker has gotten the dreariness of the material right, but he can't really give us a reason to care about the film's characters.
Like a good potato, Angela's Ashes is heavy on the starch and light on the protein.
I'm not sorry I saw it, but I wouldn't see it again.
Audience Reviews for Angela's Ashes
Super Reviewer
It's not an easy film to watch, but all the difficult parts are worth it to see the beautiful moments. They're especially powerful if you've ever, like Frank or his mom, had to seriously juggle strong religious devotion with harrowing life situations.
Super Reviewer
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Movie: ID: 14147 Title: Angela's Ashes Release Date: 1999-12-25 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 4 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Die Asche meiner Mutter (DE)
