Product Details

• Actors: Geena Davis, Stephen Rea, James Gandolfini, Aida Turturro, Philip Bosco
• Directors: Martha Coolidge
• Writers: Todd Graff, Avra Wing
• Producers: Joe Roth, Larry Brezner, Patrick McCormick, Roger Birnbaum, Todd Graff
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Buena Vista Home Ent
• VHS Release Date: November 25, 1997
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303153321
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,392 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This slice-of-life film out of Bensonhurst begins like a Working Girl rip-off: earnest and endearing woman leaves neighborhood boyfriend (James Gandolfini) to find happiness with a suave professional (Stephen Rea). But there Angie turns into a tale of self-discovery. As with Todd Graff's previous script, Used People, the characters are colorful but never seem more than broad brush stokes. What is left is an admirable acting piece by Geena Davis, who shoulders an entire movie for the first time with winning success, although many will see her mother-to-be as unrealistic. Director Martha Coolidge's (Rambling Rose) direction underscores Angie without wild mannerisms or a heavy accent, making her a memorable character that was originally to be played by Madonna. The trailers were misleading, showing clips from the back half of the movie. It's more about independence than motherhood, and Davis stubbornly desires to be happy and on her own. Plenty of laughs thrown in, mostly from Rea's endearing loafer. Gandolfini is excellent in his first major role. --Doug Thomas

Product Description

108 minutes running time

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Angela Scacciapensieri", August 13, 2003

By 

Music & Movie Luver (Hollywood, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angie [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Originally intended for Madonna (who can't act & would have definately STUNK!), this was an excellent role for Geena Davis. "Angie" is a film about an Italian/American woman from the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, N.Y. Her mom left her when she was a child & because of this she has a romanticized notion of her mother & a deep fear of abandonment. She wants more out of life than her working class plumber boyfriend (and father of her child) can offer her so she falls in love with a lawyer from Ireland while pregnant(someone as far removed from her Brooklyn world as possible!) After the baby is born, the lawyer dumps her & she also feels rejected by her son (you'll have to see the movie to find out why) so she heads off to Texas to finally face her mom for some type of closure. Yes, this character's angst & situations can be overwhelming , but real life can be like that too sometimes. The musical score, by Jerry Goldsmith, is excellent (particularly "Angie's Theme") & compliments the movie wonderfully. The movie also has a knack for capturing the New York Italian/American experience authentically. At times, "Angie" feels like a hybrid of other films ("Working Girl", "Beaches", "Saturday Night Fever", & "Moonstruck") but it works.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Let's throw in 15 subplots and abandon them all., December 18, 2002

By 

Benjamin (ATLANTA, Gabon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angie [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Though Geena Davis is a great actress, good at playing particularly strong-willed women, the screenplay for "Angie" just meanders all over the place, from light comedy to the staunchest of melodramas.

I mean, what kind of a movie has a woman go into labor while gyrating in a Santa Claus suit then show her give birth to a one-armed baby, get abandoned by her married lover, watch as her stepmother breast-feeds the one-armed baby, abandons said baby, finds her long-lost mother (who it turns out is a schizophrenic), learns that one-armed baby is in a coma... all in about 15 minutes.

This was one of the most uneven films I've ever seen. Turturro's particularly good in it as the best friend, yet her character is left out of the final half hour, though she's a central character, and never returned to. Rea and Gandolfini's potentials are completely wasted in a movie that just doesn't seem to know what to do with itself.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A must for "Sopranos" fans...OK for everyone else, May 11, 2000

By 

Gregor von Kallahann - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angie [VHS] (VHS Tape)

What a shame this movie is out of print in VHS format. Maybe since two of the cast members went on to star in the HBO phenomenon "The Sopranos," it will be reissued, perhaps in DVD. We can only hope.

James Gandolfini has what was probably his best film role in this 1994 film directed by Martha Coolidge (Rambling Rose et al.). Ironic that his meatiest film role, finds him looking a lot leaner (maybe it's about time he considered salads). For once he's not cast as a hood or a thug. Aida Turturro is along for the ride as well, and has a good time playing the role of the title character's put upon best friend.

That title character is the brassy, spirited young Brooklyn woman faced with the dilemma of unwanted pregnancy and a potentially stifling marriage. As played by Geena Davis, Angie is much more than the "woman's movie" cliche she could have been. Davis turns in a multi-dimensional performance that should have been more widely recognized. Unfortunately, despite the top-notch acting, the movie is often quite static and the pacing listless. It has the feel of a late-70s woman's self-discovery flick--which feels a little dated (and was even in the early 90s). Still it's a worthwhile film with fine acting. Recommended with reservation.