A Rumor of Angels (2000)

34% of critics liked it
(29 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(1,270 ratings)

Twelve-year-old James (Trevor Morgan) is haunted by the car crash that claimed his mother's life two years earlier. Estranged from his father (Ray Liotta) and nurturing a deep hatred of his stepmother (Catherine McCormack), James is none too pleased about the prospect of spending his summer vacation… More Twelve-year-old James (Trevor Morgan) is haunted by the car crash that claimed his mother's life two years earlier. Estranged from his father (Ray Liotta) and nurturing a deep hatred of his stepmother (Catherine McCormack), James is none too pleased about the prospect of spending his summer vacation at their Maine beach house. With no one his own age for company, he spends his time exploring the surrounding beaches. One day, while playing in the dunes, James accidentally breaks a fence belonging to Maddy Bennett (Vanessa Redgrave), a cranky old woman with a reputation for loony behavior. James embarks on a mission to fix the fence, and as he works, he and Maddy form a deep friendship. But when the boy's family learns of the friendship, they wrongfully blame Maddy for their own problems, prompting Maddy to react in a manner that profoundly affects the entire family. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 46 min.
Directed By: Peter O'Fallon
Written By: Jamie Horton, Peter O'Fallon, James Eric
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Aug 1, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Jun 25, 2002
Studio: MGM/UA

Critic Reviews

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
This cloying, voices-from-the-other-side story is hell.
Wendy Lee, Village Voice
The film's darker moments become smoothed over by an overwhelming need to tender inspirational tidings, especially in the last few cloying moments.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
There are times when A Rumor of Angels plays like an extended episode of Touched by an Angel -- a little too much dancing, a few too many weeping scenes -- but I liked its heart and its spirit.
Claudia Puig, USA Today
A spiritual exploration of sorts, offering a message of hope that resonates.
Jonathan Foreman, New York Post
The screenplay by James Eric, James Horton and director Peter O'Fallon ... is so pat it makes your teeth hurt.
John Moore, Denver Post
Denver should not get the first and last look at one of the most triumphant performances of Vanessa Redgrave's career. It deserves to be seen everywhere.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
A soft, overly familiar coming of age tale, though in small, eccentric role Vanessa Redgrave is good.
Prairie Miller, WBAI Web Radio
When you're set on making a serious drama like A Rumor Of Angels about talking to the dead - in Morse Code no less - credibility is apt to be strained for anyone beyond the most hardcore seance fanatics.
Shirley Sealy, Film Journal International
For those with an aversion to such sentimentality, especially when associated with the spirit world, Vanessa Redgrave is still reason enough to see A Rumor of Angels.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Given the fact that virtually no one is bound to show up at theatres for it, the project should have been made for the tube.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
Long on twinkly-eyed close-ups and short on shame.
Staci Layne Wilson, Fantastica Daily
The actors are fantastic. They are what makes it worth the trip to the theatre.
Bob Aulert, culturevulture.net
The actors don't inhabit their roles -- they're trapped by them, forced to change behavior in bizarre unjustified fashion and spout dialog that consists mostly of platitudes.
Michael Phillips, Citysearch
The problem with movies about angels is they have a tendency to slip into hokum. A Rumor of Angels doesn't just slip -- it avalanches into forced fuzziness.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

A very touching story. Top notch actors. Oh boy did I wanna cry at the end!
jay n

Vanessa Redgrave is vivid and touching as always. She alone raises this out of the ordinary, the rest of the cast is okay if a bit ill defined and there is a considerable schmaltz factor but Vanessa overcomes all obstacles.