We’re No Angels

Review: This 1955 Christmas comedy was submitted on my Christmas film survey by a good friend of mine, JC Chappell. I thought the movie sounded like a good watch, so I decided to take it upon myself to watch it this Christmas season. The film follows three escape convicts (Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, & Peter Ustinov) who come across a family on hard times and decide to help them out in an unconventional manner. This movie was a great watch & I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an old classic film to watch this Christmas (it can be streamed free on Pluto TV). The film also features Basil Rathbone, Joan Bennett, Leo G. Carroll, Gloria Talbott, & John Baer as different members of the family. This is one of those films that I could see people debating its status as a Christmas film because the plot isn’t really focused on the holiday. It just takes places on Christmas, which I personally would qualify as a Christmas movie. Also just FYI, there’s a 1989 remake starring Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, & Demi Moore, but I personally have never watched it.

High: The trio of Bogart, Ray, & Ustinov all play off of each other brilliantly. Each of them play characters with a range of personalities, but come across as a united trio. The comedy of this film holds up extremely well and I would give credit to the three stars for that. It has a very timeless feel, similar to that of ‘Miracle on 34th Street.’

Low: I will say that the ending caught me off guard. It wasn’t necessarily bad, maybe just not what I was hoping for. That being said, it does actually tie the film up fairly well while still leaving some ambiguity to ponder on.

Rating: 7/10