Angie

**Angie** is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Martha Coolidge.

The film was released on March 4, 1994 by Hollywood Pictures and Caravan Pictures.

It is based on Avra Wing's 1991 novel, "Angie, I Says".

## Plot

The film follows a woman named Angie, who lives in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York. Angie becomes pregnant by her plumber boyfriend, Vinnie, but she dumps him and starts dating a lawyer named Noel.

## Cast

* Geena Davis as Angie
* James Gandolfini as Vinnie
* Stephen Rea as Noel
* Aida Turturro as Tina
* Leonard Spinelli as Tina
* Philip Bosco as Frank
* Jenny O'Hara as Kathy

## Production

20th Century Fox films head Joe Roth, production president Roger Birnbaum and producer Larry Brezner had "Angie, I Says" under development.

Todd Graff had written the screenplay for Madonna, but the adaptation was placed into turnaround. Roth and Birnbaum had left for an independent label at Disney, Caravan Pictures, and were able to get the "Angie, I Says" adaptation moved over.

Due to scheduling conflicts with Madonna's role in Abel Ferrara's movie, "Dangerous Game" (which is also produced by her company, Maverick), she dropped out of the then Jonathan Kaplan-directed movie.

Madonna had wanted them to push back production on the film, but given that it was a winter story, Caravan wanted to film it in winter and then debut it in winter. She bowed out as they also took issue with her lack of acting experience. The lead role was then offered to Geena Davis.

## Box Office

"Angie" grossed $2,779,640 during its opening weekend and $9,398,308 worldwide.

## Critical Reception

"Angie" opened to mixed reviews and was a box office bomb. In addition, Geena Davis (who won an Oscar six years before for "The Accidental Tourist" received mixed to negative reviews. Critics felt that she could have been better in this movie or another set in Brooklyn.

Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B" on scale of A+ to F.

Roger Ebert wrote: *"The last half of Angie is essentially a series of plot inventions that do not flow convincingly out of the tone or the logic of what's gone before."*

In his review of the film, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote: *"Director Martha Coolidge, so adept at nurturing the feminist subtext in Rambling Rose, tries to show Angie finding strength in adversity. It’s no go. In the end, the cliches shout down Angie’s truth."*

However, Travers praised Geena Davis's performance, saying *"she can nail a laugh and break your heart in a flash."*

Richard Harrington of the Washington Post wrote: *"Unfortunately, even Davis's valiant efforts and ebullient charm cannot overcome the thin characterizations, implausible plot twists and maudlin sentimentality of Todd Graff's script (by way of Avra Wing's novel "Angie, I Says"). And while director Martha Coolidge took her time exploring familial confusions and a young girl's sexual coming of age in "Rambling Rose," she seems shackled here, unable to explore anything but the surfaces of relationships."*

Marjorie Baumgarten from the Austin Chronicle wrote *"instead of this providing us with a well-rounded portrait of our heroine it leaves us with a yanked and jerky feel."*

## Awards

**Casting Society of America** (1994)

* Artios Award for Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy: Juliet Taylor [*Nominated*]

## Production companies

* Caravan Pictures
* Hollywood Pictures
* Morra, Brezner, Steinberg and Tenenbaum Entertainment