Un ange... ou presque

Terry Dean is an exceptional career criminal, after his release from prison he is hit by a car whilst saving a young boy. He awakes in what appears to be a heavenly place, and much to his surprise he is visited by a deity and told that he is on probation, he is in short...almost an angel.

Paul Hogan will forever be known as the bloke from Crocodile Dundee, a highly efficient fish out of water comedy that became a huge hit. However, the sequels and his other subsequent film's are either roundly ignored or highly frowned upon. That's a shame because Almost An Angel is a very engaging comedy, the sort of picture that stands up like a Capraesque piece for the 90s. It's the sort of fable that cheers one up when the blues draw in and then turn into a blackly dark cloud, yes it be true, old craggy faced Paul Hogan has the gift of comedy. True enough the doses of sentiment are at times like a treacle itch to be scratched, but is that a bad thing? Watching a street wise criminal turning his less than honourable skills into a thing of goodness?

The film has many visual gags to go with the ream of religious ones that flow within the piece, be it Hogan attempting to fly or a quiet word about Elvis, Almost An Angel delights if one accepts the nature of the beast. Linda Kozlowski again teams up with Hogan (after the earlier Crocodile Dundee pairing), here she has very little to do but she slots in very nicely, even if a pre-end credits sequence does her and everyone else no favours at all. The best actor on show is the criminally undervalued Elias Koteas, playing the wheelchair bound Steve Garner, he exudes a believability factor that many modern day actors can learn from, where, the ability to act with just your face is high art if it's done correctly. Check out both the first and last scenes that Koteas shares with Hogan, great stuff that seems to have been forgotten due to the disdain shown for this particular film.

I rate it 7/10 because it hits my spot when I need a pick me up, perhaps that is too high in this age where comedy is the hardest genre to succeed in? But don't believe the low rating here on this site, it's a delightful little comedy that is far from perfect, but hell! It's a heavenly piece knowingly incorporating the serious side of religious beliefs.

One of the most overlooked performances in years goes to Elias Koteas as the paraplegic who introduces the 'born again' Hogan into the story of a care centre under threat of closure. It is sensitive and touching without being over sentimental or condescending.

This shows a hidden quality in Hogan's writing that Hollywood missed in his post-Crocodile Dundee movies, and is also in evidence in Lightning Jack and the part of Cuba Gooding Jnr. This movie may not have the charm of Dundee, but the comedy is there and it is certainly more thought provoking about our attitudes to the disabled.

A very good movie.

Paul Hogan plays a criminal who steps out in front of traffic to save a child, and becomes an Angel... almost. He says he's on probation, sorta... but what are you to believe? Is he nuts? Hmmm. Maybe. The humor and light-sided religiousness makes this film a delight.

Don't worry about being converted or anything, this is an open-ended movie with morals, granted, but also with that special touch of human bonding, and what it means to love others.

Hogan's writing, directing, and acting career spans just 6 films that I know of, and this is a lesser known one... I had the feeling at the end that it was looking for a sequel, or a TV series. No such luck.

Magical, humorous, charming, disarming, alarming, and inspiring... see it at least once.

I remember this playing at the cinema, and thinking this would fall below my expectations, so I should steer clear of it. Although it's not as good as the original Crocodile Dundee, but remember that was Crocodile Dundee, out of curiosity, and an avid fascination, which sometimes can bring, what you pretty well imagined the quality of the movie to be like, I decided to see it, as my brother had it on a preview cassette, alongside King Ralph. I must say I was quite taken aback. Here's a feel good movie for the whole family, that has fun in it's story, it's premise which has been done in many other films, but not with such smart ideas. Even Charlton Heston gets in on the act in a dream sequence that finds Hoges in Heaven, after performing a brave act. Ex con, and master thief, Terry Dean, (Hogan) who has a near death experience, when thinking real bullets went through him and didn't kill him, making him change his ways and become devout, truly thinking he's an angel. They were blanks, fired from the gun of a thug, whose part of a group of robbers, who do over this bank, Hoges was gonna hold up, while dressed in Rod Stewart garb. It's not the first time Hoges has made fun of this music icon too, while he takes pokes at Willie Nelson, also. He crosses paths with an angry young cripple, a younger Elias Koteas, a wild actor whose become one of my favourite stars. His sister is played by Linda Kozlowski, these two latter stars, proving they're more the real actors of the show, while Hoges just lazes back, playing himself, not like Crocodile Dundee, which showed off his real acting. Actually Kozlowski's pretty good in this, I thought, one actress who should of done more movies. There's a lot of underlying messages, too in this movie "Like if you do good in this world, good is what you'll get back". Actor or not, Hoges is what makes the film funny, as if he's put in some of his own script input, which leads you to wonder, while John Cornell has again surprised us, and in another way, brought it to the table, but not as good enough match for the croc. For Hoges fans, that will bring a bit of scattered disappointment to some of that minority and a larger one for others, I imagine.

This is one of the best movies, I've seen it has all the essentials excellent moral plot, humor, great acting. I's like to see more films follow this fine example of what it take to make a film great. Now all this comes from someone who disliked the crocodile Dundee movies, so in order for me to go to these lengths to complement this film, and it's fine plot and acting attest to how strong and impact this film had on me. I found that the way humor was combined with strong moral content, and the way all the characters are portrayed, as being human with many character flaws, but doing the right thing when it came down to it. Among my most favorite scenes were the jail release when he terry Dean (Hogan) hits the switch and makes his parting, as well as the part where he has the cross lit for the benefit of a possible benefactor sure made for some entertaining viewing. A must see.