Displaying items by tag: Angry Angel movie

ANGRY ANGEL

US, 2017, 83 minutes, Colour.

Brenda Song, Andy Favreau, Ricky Mabe, Andrew Bachelor, Anastasia Phillips, Julia Pastorius, Elizabeth Bowen, Jason Biggs.

Directed by Jamie Travis.

Audiences who enjoy Christmas films, here is one with quite a difference!

Brenda Song, a very bright screen personality who has been acting since the age of seven, plays Alison Pyke, working in a diner, dissatisfied with life – and, revealed to be an Angel trying to earn points to get her to heaven.

There is a back story, she was previously Megan, growing up in love with Patrick, marrying him, then dying, and assigned a new appearance and a new life, having to earn a number of points in helping people in order to get to heaven. She has a good friend, Leonard, a bright Andrew Bachelor, who is in a similar situation and they have chats and help each other.

An amusing idea is to have Jason Biggs as himself, a former life, reincarnated as Jason Biggs who is a kind of supervisor in New York City checking the various angels and their progress, correcting, urging…

Brenda Song brings to life this kind of life, confiding in the audience, getting points, losing them, and then encountering Patrick visiting from Nebraska with his girlfriend, Jill. The rules are no contact with past life but, eventually, Pyke makes contact, trying to explain herself to Patrick, kissing him, alienating Jill. So, she has an opportunity to get a bus ticket to heaven and loses all her points.

It is Christmas, she is criticised for being self-centred, finds Jill to apologise to her, finds Patrick to explain and to letting go, meets up with Leonard and, on the bus, to heaven.

Nothing very religious here, despite all the Christmas songs and carols. Heaven is a kind of middle-class happy resort for every whim and wish. Pyke, however, is still concerned about a friend on earth and drives out of heaven to help him. She is accountable to the tribunal and Jason Biggs again and has to start all over again!

Lots of sentiment and goodwill in a different kind of Christmas story.

1. A Christmas story with a very different plot – but with many of the same messages?
2. Audiences accepting the basic premise, life after death, a new life, a new form and situation, getting points in order to go to heaven, the supervisors and staff checking progress, the eventual picture of heaven, extremely secular, heaven as an easy-going resort?
3. The basic story, Patrick and Megan, friendship, growing up, shared interests, in love, marrying? Megan’s death?
4. The fantasy story, Megan becoming Alison Pyke, a new form, Asian-American, living in New York, working as a waitress, not particularly effective, all the mistakes and faux pas? Friendship with Connie, Connie’s tolerance at work? The friendship with James Barker, cook, the relationship, the sexual encounter, the consequences? His response to her, her preoccupation with getting to heaven, the clash between them?
5. The enjoyment of having Jason Biggs as himself, referring to his career, supervising, checking on points earned? Discussions with Pyke, urging him on, criticising her, the various encounters, Christmas, offering her the possibility of getting to heaven?
6. The rules, the points for various good deeds, Pyke and her exasperation? Doing good, saving people, the various episodes? The rule of not being into contact with the past? Her memories of Patrick, love for him, the encounter with him and Jill, her intruding, the question breaking the rules, talking with Patrick, explaining herself, memories the past, his being taken aback, her kissing, Jill and her upset? Jason Biggs and the rules? Offering her the opportunity to do something big to regain the points?
7. The atmosphere, the Christmas messages, doing good for people, being selfless?
8. The character of Leonard, friendly, his good deeds, images of heaven, talks with Pyke, turning up, helping her, sharing missions?
9. Christmas, Pyke being urged to do something selfless, the would-be suicide at the subway, letting Leonard help him, the embrace to life? Her doing something kind?
10. Finding Jill, the explanation and apology, finding Patrick, urging him to love Jill, the separation?
11. The bus, with Leonard, going to heaven?
12. Her commentary about heaven, the luxury resort, every wish and a whim? Her being dissatisfied? The story of Barker? Her escaping, saving Barker’s life, his meeting the French girl?
13. Going back to the tribunal, Jason Biggs, her losing all the points – and having to go out and start again, on the plane as she was in the opening sequence, the people panicking, her surviving – and saying she could do it again?