''Angie'' is a 1994 American

romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

comedy-drama film directed by Martha Coolidge and starring Geena Davis as the title character. It was produced by

Caravan Pictures Caravan Pictures, Inc. was an American film production company at Walt Disney Studios, formed by Roger Birnbaum and Joe Roth. Caravan's films were distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. While Disney would sign directors and talent ...

and distributed by Hollywood Pictures. It is based on the 1991 novel ''Angie, I Says'' by Avra Wing, which was a New York Times Notable Book of 1991. The film received mixed to negative reviews and was a box office bomb, grossing only $9.4 million against its $26 million budget.

Plot

Angie is an office worker who lives in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York and dreams of a better life. After learning that she is pregnant by her boyfriend Vinnie, she decides that she will have the baby, but not Vinnie as a husband. This turns the entire neighborhood upside down and starts her on a journey of self-discovery, including a love affair with a man named Noel who she meets at an art museum. Even her best friend Tina has trouble understanding her.

Cast

* Geena Davis as Angie * James Gandolfini as Vinnie *

Stephen Rea Stephen Rea ( ; born 31 October 1946) is an Irish film and stage actor. Rea has appeared in films such as ''V for Vendetta'', ''Michael Collins'', ''Interview with the Vampire'' and ''Breakfast on Pluto''. Rea was nominated for the Academy Award ...

as Noel * Aida Turturro as Tina * Leonard Spinelli as Tina's Son #2 * Philip Bosco as Frank *

Adam LeFevre Adam LeFevre (born August 11, 1950) is an American character actor, poet, and playwright who works in cinema, television, theater and commercials. Biography LeFevre was born in Albany, New York, the son of Helen (née Rhodes), a hospital patient ...

as Museum Guard * Jenny O'Hara as Kathy * Margaret Cho as Admissions Nurse

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 Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

. The adaptation was placed into turnaround. Roth and Birnbaum had left for an independent label at Disney,

, and were able to get the "Angie, I Says" adaptation moved over. Because of scheduling conflicts with her 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, 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.

Reception

The film 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 she could have been better in this movie or another set in Brooklyn. The film was famous for introducing three actors who would star on the TV show '' The Sopranos'': James Gandolfini, Aida Turturro, and Michael Rispoli. Audiences surveyed by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...

gave the film a grade of "B" on scale of A+ to F.

Year-end lists

* Top 10 worst (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Mike Mayo, '' The Roanoke Times''

Awards

*The movie was nominated an

Artios The Casting Society, formerly known as Casting Society of America (CSA), was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1982 as a professional society of about 1,200 casting directors and associate casting directors for film, television, theatre, and ...

for Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy by the

Casting Society of America The Casting Society, formerly known as Casting Society of America (CSA), was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1982 as a Professional association, professional society of about 1,200 Casting (performing arts), casting directors and associate ...

References

External links

* * * 1994 films 1990s pregnancy films Hollywood Pictures films Caravan Pictures films American pregnancy films 1990s romantic comedy-drama films American romantic comedy-drama films 1990s English-language films Films directed by Martha Coolidge Films scored by Jerry Goldsmith Films produced by Roger Birnbaum Films produced by Joe Roth Films set in Brooklyn 1994 comedy films 1994 drama films Films about mother–daughter relationships 1990s American films {{1990s-romantic-comedy-film-stub