We're No Angels (1989)

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

This movie is downright awful! It has what could be argued as a great cast, but everything about this film is painfully horrible. I can't believe DeNiro and Penn made this movie. Either the director is at fault for creating this mess, or the actors blew it. You'd think actors of their caliber might have managed to save this film, but DeNiro, especially, sunk it. DeNiro plays himself, badly. In fact, the more I see of DeNiro lately, the more I wonder about his true acting ability. Was Raging Bull a fluke? He's really picked some dogs the past 10-15 years, which is a shame. Sean Penn is pretty much in the same boat. Don't even get me started on Demi Moore. I've seen better acting in 4th- grade school plays. Take my advice and ave a couple hours of your life and pass on this movie.

This film intends to follow a classic comedy plot that has been done many times. I mean no criticism by that - it is a very good film that is marred by some terrible choices that feel to me like they should be blamed on production/direction, not the material, cast or setting.It could have been great. The message is a serious, decent, inspiring one with extreme comic relief. The kind of thing that Hollywood is usually pretty good at.Superb writing, fine casting (except as noted below), very nice location/construction/set design. How could they fail? I'll tell you.Robert De Niro was very good except for the ridiculous way he channeled Victor McLaglen's lower jaw (don't believe me? Go watch 'Broadway Limited' again) so hard that the jaw should have gotten separate credit. Maybe even a supporting actor award.I don't know what was wrong with Sean Penn. Maybe I just didn't believe that the rest of the characters could really that fooled.Demi Moore plays the cliché, the whole cliché and nuttin' but the cliché. And has to labor under an over the top 'lower class' accent with no back story justifying that she speaks like that. Maybe DeNiro's jaw (Victor's?) got to her. Truth in reviewing - I don't really like her work but I would have disliked her way less if they hadn't pushed her so hard in so many ways.John C. Reilly is very good a role that could have been expanded. Ditto Mr. Axton. Ditto the cute kid. Ray McAnally was a little over the top but not ridiculous.A missed opportunity!

This has to be one of the most idiotic movies ever.I can deal with completely unbelievable. Some guy in the execution chamber suddenly produces guns out of nowhere and shoots everyone who isn't needed in the plot later? I'm not surprised the director chose to set this scene up in darkness. It is unexplainable.But that's OK!I can deal with plot streams being abandoned. The warden,determined to bring the fugitives to justice, just disappears from the movie because the guy he is looking for jumped in a river and became a local hero! I don't think so! I can also deal with bad acting;I can also deal with clichéd writing. But I don't want them all in one movie.This gets a high vote in my all time worst!

I was aghast at and distracted by the over the top mannerisms of both DeNiro and Penn in the staring roles. I know that this was supposed to be a comedy/drama, but all that head bobbing was too much. Not that all of the other roles were something to write home about. The priests and monks were caricatures as were the warden and his bunch of deputies. Demi Moore added little but a gratuitous nude scene and a lot of senseless yelling. The ending was a predictable mix of worldly and spiritual resolution, but most interesting to me would be what happens after the end of the movie when all the secrets are uncovered between Demi and DeNiro. Why did I watch it if it bothered me that much? Well, my wife liked it because of the religious underpinnings and sentimentality. I guess between the two of us it averaged a 5 just like the overall rating.