''Gabriel and Me'' is a 2001 film starring

Iain Glen Iain Alan Sutherland Glen (born 24 June 1961) is a Scottish actor. Glen is best known for his roles as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the ''Resident Evil'' film series (2004–2016) and as Ser Jorah Mormont in the HBO fantasy te ...

, Sean Landless and

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

as the angel

Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

. It originated from the 1995 British play ''

I Luv You Jimmy Spud ''I luv you Jimmy Spud'' is a play set in Newcastle upon Tyne by British playwright Lee Hall starring Gus Brown as Jimmy Spud and Michael Walpert as Stephen (Scout). Originally commissioned by BBC Radio 4, it was first broadcast in 1995. The ...

''. Some outdoor scenes were filmed in

North East England North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the region; combined authority, unitary authorit ...

including the Roker pier in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

. The film premiered at the 2001

Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...

Plot

Jimmy Spud is a young loner living in the

Byker Wall The Byker Wall is a long, unbroken block of 620 maisonettes in the Byker district of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. They were designed by Ralph Erskine and constructed in the 1970s. The wall is just part of the estate, which in total covers . De ...

. Ever since his father threw him high in the air from

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...

pier, he dreamt of being able to fly, and specifically of being an angel. He lives with his brutish but terminally ill father, played by

, his mother (

Rosie Rowell Rosie Rowell (born 29 April 1965) is a British actress, probably best known for her roles as Eileen Callan in ''Family Affairs'' (a role she played from 2002 until the series ended in 2005) and Donna Tucker in ''Soldier Soldier''. She has also ...

) and philosophical grandfather ( David Bradley). He is bullied at school. Whilst "praying" in a derelict and abandoned church one day, Jimmy is visited by Gabriel (

), who advises him on how to become an angel. He goes home and sews a multitude of feathers onto an old dress and goes wandering around the docks. We next see him on the absolute top of a tower crane, watching a boy cycling below. The boy skids and lands in the water. Jimmy sees his chance to prove himself and dives in to rescue him. The boy, a Pakistani

Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...

, thanks him and they become friends. Jimmy practices "flying" by jumping off a plank, and is seen to hover unnaturally long, as if achieving his aim. His dad discovers the new pair of friends in the bedroom one day, with Jimmy in his "dress", he is furious and smashes a trumpet Jimmy had borrowed from school for angel practice. Jimmy's grandfather sells his homing pigeons to buy Jimmy a new trumpet. Dad's illness (seemingly lung cancer) worsens and he goes into hospital. Jimmy is told that he will not return. He visits dad in hospital wearing his angel dress and plays

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an African-American spiritual song and one of the best-known Christian hymns. Originating in early oral and musical African-American traditions, the date it was composed is unknown. Performances by the Hampton Singer ...

on the trumpet. Disillusioned by his father's death he burns the angel dress. However Gabriel returns and explains that he has met his goal. The film ends with the famous throw on the jetty which inspired Jimmy so much.

Reception

''Gabriel & Me'' received negative reviews from critics. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, all three critical reviews are negative.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gabriel and Me 2001 films Films about angels 2001 drama films Films scored by Stephen Warbeck Films with screenplays by Lee Hall (playwright) 2000s English-language films Films directed by Udayan Prasad