Angel-A

This is a historic event, unprecedented on Cool Awesome Movies.  Dear readers, before you is a review of a film that is:

a)    a romance,
b)    a drama,
c)    and French.

Usually, the combination of the above words triggers a red alert in my  brain that screams “Run! (Get to the chopaaaaa!) Save yourself!” And so I  did, a year or so ago when I first saw this title during my random  lurking through IMDb. I was attracted by the poster and the title, but  immediately put off when I read the keywords. It was only a couple of  weeks back that I read a positive review of “Angel-A” on Twisted Flicks (be sure to check out that awesome blog!) and I decided to give it a go  despite all my doubts and prejudices. I’m happy to say those were  wrong.

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Paris, France. Andre (Jamel Debbouze) is a US immigrant of Algerian  descent, now a small time crook, a good guy at heart caught in bad  circumstances because of which he ends up owing big money to other,  bigger crooks who don’t take that very lightly. Seeing no other way out  he decides to end his life by jumping off a bridge. It’s at the last  moment he notices a beautiful unknown woman right beside him, apparently  another suicide jumper. She actually does jump, and so does he – to  save her. She is Angela (Rie Rasmussen) and since Andre saved her life  she offers him ownership over it and in return she’ll make his life  better. Reluctant to bond and confused with her uppity attitude at  first, Andre quickly grows fond of her and her unusual ways of dealing  with problems.


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The name of Luc Besson, who’s the writer/director of “Angel-A” should’ve  been a sign that this probably wasn’t the usual French whining  emotional borefest bullshit. “Angel-A” is the first romance/drama I’ll  review, and quite possibly the last and the first one I’ve ever really  liked. And I liked it as much as I did because it deviates from the  standard formula which makes all other romance films pathetic and  crappy.

To start off, it does not include any of those self-indulgent girlie  overemotional bursts of expressing love. The only time it comes close to  that is during the very end, but like I said – it doesn’t cross the  line over to the pathetic side. Actually, most of the time Andre and  Angela can’t stand each other’s presence, always fighting and bickering  at one another. Their fights and arguments provide quite a lot of  laughs, genuine laughs. “Angel-A” is embroidered with good humor that’s  never out of place and never lame. Hell, it’s better than any of those  abysmal romcoms we’re being fed with nowadays. And if I of all said it,  than you can bet your ass it’s the truth.


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Another element to my liking is the unconventional character  development. I’ve seen many reviewers complain about the usual portrayal  of women in romcoms as always being one-dimensional, helpless and  clueless creatures unable to care for themselves without a man around to  take charge. Well, they’ll be happy to know “Angel-A” offers a  diametrically opposite character in Angela. She is the boss, the  outspoken tough bitch while Andre is the quiet, down to earth guy.  Angela starts to take care of business immediately, procuring money for  Andre to pay his debts… by some non-standard protocols – like fucking  rich gents for a hefty price (by her own free will, mind you). “Angel-A”  doesn’t feature any nudity (unfortunately *sniff sniff* ) or foul  language, so it’s very family friendly. It doesn’t resolve to cheap  tricks for winning over the audiences.

Visually, the film is beautiful for a couple of reasons. The first - it  was filmed entirely in black and white, pretty stylish and all.  The  second – Rie Rasmussen! *drool* Both she and Debbouze carry this film  entirely on their shoulders as the film focuses completely on them.  They’re playing total opposites both in appearances and character -  Andre being the short and unattractive Average Joe, with Angela the tall  and beautiful Norse goddess. This certainly makes them an interesting  pair. The actors do a great job and give really good performances.


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Despite having Besson’s name attached to it, “Angel-A” is one gem that  slipped under the radar and remained virtually unknown in a sea of  inferior but for some reasons extremely more popular films. It’s not a  revolutionary film, and not one you’ll remember for a lifetime but it’s  definitely a breath of fresh air in a rotten genre. Next time you’re  picking up a romance film, do yourself a favor and skip the latest  Jennifer Anniston tripe and take “Angel-A” instead.

Rating: 8/10

- review by Ventilation Shaft

This is one of those films that can take a while to get around to  watching. It's French, it's black and white, it's got a small cast, it's  talky, it's a feel-good love story. For me, that's flying quite a few  red flags already. Not that I have anything against any of those types  ... but it just sounds a little, well ... uninteresting. But don't stop  reading yet ... this generalisation certainly gives the wrong  impression.

The film was nothing at all like I expected.

We  meet Andre, a small-time hustler living in Paris, at a particularly low  time in his life. With large debts racked up to underworld figures who  have run out of patience, he's likely to come to a sticky end very  shortly. With no money, or even the possibility of getting any, it seems  he has truly run out of options.



It's while he is standing on a bridge contemplating suicide that he  notices another jumper about to do the same - a gorgeous blonde in a  short black cocktail dress. Being the nice guy that he is, he  unhesitatingly saves her from killing herself. And this is how he meets  Angela, who promptly decides that seeing as she owes him her life, she  now belongs to him.

Did I mention yet that this film is a  fantasy?




Boy did he luck in. It soon becomes apparent that Angela's mission  is to turn his life around, and she sets about helping to relieve him of  his debts. Remember how I mentioned this was ostensibly a feel-good  love story? Well that might lead you to believe this is some kind of  weepy romcom, but here's the twist. Her method of raising the cash is to  head to a bar and shag all comers for 1000 euros a pop. So you can see  how this film doesn't exactly conform to expectations.



The stunning cinematography around picturesque Paris, combined with the  decision to film in black and white lends the film an artistic and  classy aesthetic, however the delivery is anything but pretentious.  Instead director Luc Besson has delivered a mature and sexy  comedy/fantasy that is enjoyable from start to finish.

If I had  to draw comparisons, I'd describe it as a mix between the fantasy of  Bedazzled combined with the acting and humour of Amelie. Of course this  is Luc Besson we're talking about (Fifth Element, Leon, Nikita) , so you  know you're in good hands. He has teamed up with long-time  collaborator, cinematographer Thierry Arbogast, which ensures that the  visuals are spectacular.




I won't give away anything more about the plot - yes its feel-good and  uplifting - it even has a positive message to take away. For those who  might be put off by such a description, don't be. This is a mature,  intelligent and sexy film that will appeal to males and females alike.

Special  mention must be given to the two leads, the nordic goddess Rie  Rasmussen and the dimunitive arabic hustler played by Jamel Debbouze.  Between them they account for 95% of the screentime, and they both turn  in great performances. Rasmussen manages to be both endearing and sassy,  and the buzz about her incredibly long legs in this movie is entirely  justified.



I have one caveat for those thinking of checking this movie out. This is  a dialogue-driven movie ... so if you don't understand French you're  probably going to need to hit the pause button from time to time to keep  up with the subtitles. I fully realise that for many people this will  be too much hassle, but you'd be missing out if you let this put you  off.

In summary, this was a truly enjoyable film and comes  highly recommended.

This is, I guess, Luc Besson’s Manhattan. It is not as Woody Allen would have made it, but then, Woody probably wouldn’t have had much truck with The Fifth Element either. Luc Besson does not share Woody Allen’s passion for philosophy. He has no time for dry wit or ambiguity. He loves Paris as Woody loved NY (once upon a time), but in order to write a Valentine, he needed to mark it with own stamp. You know the one. You’ve seen Nikita, Leon, The Fifth Element and the rest. Besson’s muse isn’t Diane Keaton, it’s a catwalk model. His answer to the death of God is to reload a gun. Angel-A is gorgeous, witless and very Besson-y, which I mean as a compliment. Think of it as Manhattanlobotomised and just for fun.

There’s a guy, a Ratso Rizzo-type called Andre (Jamel Debbouze), who’s going to kill himself. He’s in debt to gangsters who want to throw him off the Eiffel Tower. He figures he’ll beat them to it by jumping off a bridge. But there’s a problem: a second jumper. She’s a supermodel-type in a mini-dress (Rie Rasmussen), hair like lightning and mascara all smudged. She jumps first (like Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life). Ratso/Andre dives in after her (like George Bailey). They both survive. The supermodel tells Andre her name is Angela. She is an angel. Heaven knows what Heaven she comes from, but she brings to mind a line from Raymond Chandler about “a blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window”.

The thing you either love or loathe about Angel-A is that it looks like a perfume advert. This isn’t Besson being anything but Besson (he really does take this stuff seriously), but that’s the test. Is such a look too slick for your taste? Is this guy a bit too Ridley Scott (with style to burn and not much thought)? Or do you – much as you hate to admit it – like that sort of thing? Did you enjoy The Fifth Element once you switched off your brain? Can style in sufficient quantity trump substance? Yeah – I know – This is heresy! This is the death of film criticism! But hell, Besson’s been winding up Cahiers du cinéma sinceSubway without batting an eyelid. And surely if he can make his peace with good-looking trash, then we can… Can’t we?

Rie Rasmussen is so much a Besson-vision of an angel; it’s as if she were his stubborn riposte to his critics. When she emerges from the Seine in a skirt that ends where legs-up-to-Here begin, you know you have entered the Elysium of adolescent wish-fulfillment that Besson adores. Besson’s answer to E.T. was Milla Jovovich. His Joan of Arc was Milla Jovovich. And God knows all his angels would have been Milla Jovovich (if she hadn’t divorced him). So Rie fits right in. What Russ Meyer was to breasts, Besson is to legs. He likes ’em. Frankly, he makes movies for legs (Milla and Rie aren’t much for busts). Angel-Amight not say much that’s meaningful, but it does tell you a lot about a 40-something director who refuses to grow up.

Woody Allen got lucky with his career because the things he liked made him seem like an intellectual when he put them on film.Manhattan is catnip for critics because of its philosophical references and the general tumult of educated angst it describes. But it’s a movie about a city and a movie about the bits of life its director cherishes, more than anything. Angel-A is that way too, only Besson’s a schmuck who likes long legs and short dresses. Don’t doubt that he loves Paris. Every frame of Angel-A is testament to his admiration. And don’t be fooled into thinking because Angel-A is so slight that it’s any the less heartfelt. This is Luc’s Manhattan – a story about a pretty girl falling in love with an ugly short guy. It doesn’t have Woody’s wit, or Gershwin. It won’t endure, but… no-one else could have made it.

Last updated: 2010-02-17 22:03:19 by user01