Sin noticias de Dios (Don't Tempt Me) (2001)

38% of critics liked it
(29 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(5,290 ratings)

Two of Spain's biggest female stars headline this offbeat comedy about the battle of wills between good and evil. Heaven is not getting its fair share of business for the afterlife, so Lola (Victoria Abril), an angel who sings in a nightclub located beyond the pearly gates, is sent to Earth to drum… More Two of Spain's biggest female stars headline this offbeat comedy about the battle of wills between good and evil. Heaven is not getting its fair share of business for the afterlife, so Lola (Victoria Abril), an angel who sings in a nightclub located beyond the pearly gates, is sent to Earth to drum up business by her boss, Marina (Fanny Ardant). Her first prospect is Manny (Demián Bichir), a prizefighter with an injury that could take his life at any time. As Lola tries to claim Manny's soul for the Lord, the wicked Jack Davenport (Gael García Bernal) believes that the Devil deserves the boxer's soul, and he sends one of Hell's waitresses, Carmen (Penélope Cruz), to seal the deal. On Earth, Lola takes the form of Manny's former love and urges him to mend fences with his mother, while seductive Carmen tries to persuade Manny to return to the ring, knowing that another fight would mean his death. While Lola and Carmen wage war over Manny's soul, they maintain their cover by working at a grocery store, where they both learn a few lessons about the pitfalls of earthly capitalism. Meanwhile, Manny is dealing with financial problems of his own -- he owes money to the city's corrupt police commissioner (Emilio Gutiérrez Caba), who is using his strong-arm men to "persuade" Manny to pay up. Released in Europe as Sin Noticias de Dios (which translates as No News From God), Don't Tempt Me was a box-office success in Spain when it was released in late 2001, though it wouldn't reach American theaters until 2003. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed By: Agustín Díaz Yanes
Written By: Agustín Díaz Yanes
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 22, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Feb 17, 2004
Studio: Casa Nova Films

Critic Reviews

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
It's all harmless fun, I suppose, and mercifully free of all the cant usually associated with fantasies of Heaven and Hell.
Ellen Fox, Chicago Tribune
Manny is so uninteresting as a pivotal character that he's a black hole who sucks away our investment in the film.
Jami Bernard, New York Daily News
A sultry, pretty thing with a few good ideas: in other words, stuck in limbo.
Bob Campbell, Newark Star-Ledger
Consistently clever and inventive on a level a little below the inspired.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
It's only sporadically entertaining.
Dave Kehr, New York Times
An unfocused, overplotted, painfully derivative comic fantasy.
Brent Simon, Now Playing Magazine
Bendito Infierno's characters crack and pop off the screen; you're caught up in their tussle even as you acknowledge its artificiality.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...undoubtedly a silly premise, but writer/director Agustin Diaz Yanes imbues the film with enough style and humor to keep things interesting.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
As tempting as it is to describe the level of humor in Don't Tempt Me as hellish, that's probably giving the movie more credit than it deserves. Although describing anything in this dark comedy as heavenly is even more of a stretch.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
A train wreck of half-developed ideas without a unifying thread.
Kim Morgan, Oregonian
Sometimes nothing is more irritating than forced wackiness. Especially forced wackiness with a supposed deeper point.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
A barely comprehensible mess ... Fun is something in very short supply in this would-be comedy.
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals
This doesn't intend to be a mystery but it sure makes one out of why the investors didn't require a re-write.
Robert Wilonsky, Dallas Observer
Bernal can't decide if he's making a Tarantino homage or an Almodóvar riff or an Albert Brooks tribute... and the wobbly sensibility finally knocks the movie's legs out from beneath it altogether.

Read all 14 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Saskia D

The relative surrealistic element of the movie is what made it interesting. The rest was ok. I like it when Cruz doesn't play the pretty girl.
Lesley N

Victoria Abril and Penelope Cruz get sent by heaven and hell respectively, to win the soul of a sad, weak woman-beating loser. Apparently heaven is a bit like black & white Paris filmset and rather empty, and hell is like a giant multi-storey prison with lots more people in it,… More
Victoria Abril and Penelope Cruz get sent by heaven and hell respectively, to win the soul of a sad, weak woman-beating loser. Apparently heaven is a bit like black & white Paris filmset and rather empty, and hell is like a giant multi-storey prison with lots more people in it, and there's a Checkpoint Charlie between the two to separate the good from the bad, but that could all change if the wrong side wins, so beware.
Leo L

Great movie! Penelope and Victoria are absolutely a great pair of characters. In this film, one is good, and the other supposedly bad. Despite the line of duties, the two vie for the soul of a boxer. The two realize that they are both doomed regardless of the outcome. Great cast-… More
Great movie! Penelope and Victoria are absolutely a great pair of characters. In this film, one is good, and the other supposedly bad. Despite the line of duties, the two vie for the soul of a boxer. The two realize that they are both doomed regardless of the outcome. Great cast- Victoria Abril, Penelope Cruz, Gael García Bernal, Fanny Ardant, Demian Bichir, and Elena Anaya. Definitely worthy!
Marion R

It's a Tarantinoesque telling of a good angel and a bad angel who fight for the soul of a boxer. I found it interesting and a bit weird, but overall i liked it.
FanGirl B

I've read a lot of bad reviews of this film, but I found it engaging and original. I really liked this film and would recommend it to anyone who likes quirky, original films.