Angel Eyes (R)

J.Lo plays a cop in a touching love story.

(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)

Common Sense rates it
4
Seen the movie? Review it
321.jpg
Movie details
  • Studio: Warner Bros.
  • Directed By: Luis Mandoki
  • Cast: James Caviezel, Jennifer Lopez
  • Running Time: 102 minutes
  • Release Date: 05/18/2001
  • Video/DVD Release Date: 02/04/2003
  • Genre: Drama
  • MPAA Rating: R
  • MPAA Explanation: very strong language, some shooting violence, nudity and sexual situations

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie is rated R for very strong language, brief non-explicit nudity and sexual references and situations. Characters are in peril and some are shot. There is a fatal automobile accident and a child is killed offscreen. Sharon jokes that she was looking for a man to "clean her pipes." There are references to domestic abuse, and we see a woman who has been hit in the face.

Families can talk about how we can find a way to create a balance between privacy and intimacy, between mourning a loss and moving on, between trying to make things better and accepting something less than perfect. They may also want to talk about Sharon's conflicts over how to respond to her father's abuse of her mother. When Sharon and Catch first become close, she asks him to kiss her somewhere she has never been kissed before -- it may be worth discussing with teenagers the importance of keeping yourself precious enough so that you can give the person you love something that is just for the two of you.

Message

Social Behavior:

Capable, dedicated cop is Hispanic and female, inter-racial partnership.

Consumerism:

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Characters drink.

Violence

Some shoot-outs, characters in peril, fatal accident. domestic abuse.

Sex

Sexual references, brief nudity, sexual situation.

Language

Very strong language.

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Nell Minow

Jennifer Lopez plays Sharon, a cop who is fearless on the streets but not ready to get close to anyone. As she tells one guy when he tries to get to know her over dinner, "I'm not very good at the whole dating thing," She goes home to her apartment and lies on her bed in her bulletproof vest. One day, just as an assailant is about to shoot Sharon, a mysterious stranger (Jim Caviezel) arrives to save her life. She is surprised to find herself drawn to him even though he tells her nothing about himself. All he will tell her is that his name is Catch. Sharon investigates and interrogates people for a living. She is not sure how much it is fair to expect to learn about someone in a relationship, so she does not push. In fact, it gives her some breathing room because she does not feel crowded by questions about her own past. She finds something freeing about a relationship between people who have only the present.

Is it any good?

4

Watch out -- they're trying to sell ANGEL EYES as a thriller with supernatural overtones, but it turns out that it is a very traditional love story, and a surprisingly touching one, too. The connection between the Sharon and Catch will be a mystery only to those people who have never seen a movie. But there is an appealing lightness and even a little wisdom the way their relationship unfolds. Sharon calls Catch and when he answers she tells him to hang up so that she can call his machine. She is not comfortable enough to talk to him directly, but at least she is able to tell him that.

Sharon and Catch both have to accept their pasts before they can face the future together. Although it is terrifying, they have to be honest with themselves before they can really be close to each other. Both blame themselves for family tragedies, and both have to accept that it is all right to go on from that. The movie has the great good sense to leave things a little messy. Maybe Jennifer Lopez should stick with playing cops. This is her best performance since she played a marshall in Out of Sight. Caviezel, following roles in Frequency and Pay it Forward, seems to be the current go-to guy for playing "guys weird stuff happens to." Screenwriter Gerald DePego and director Luis Mandoki show us the warm, easy connection between Sharon and Catch, and they make it clear that love alone is not the cure, just the motive to allow yourself to heal.

Other choices

I'll be Seeing You
Love Letters
One Way Passage
Support Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media is a non-profit and will receive a portion of your purchase from Pricegrabber. Learn more.

Parents and kids say

Be the first to post a review.

Log in or Register to post a review
Review It

Great Fantasy Books for Harry Potter Fans

Great Fantasy Books for Harry Potter Fans
Which fantasy book creature has the best name?
Fluffy (3-headed dog, Harry Potter)
33%
Mister Grin (giant crocodile, Peter and the Starcatchers)
33%
Vermicious Knid (shapeshifting monster, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator)
0%
The Incredibly Deadly Viper (harmless snake, Series of Unfortunate Events)
0%
Bunnicula (vampire bunny, Bunnicula series)
33%
6 votes