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Writer's pictureGary Jive

When Angels Come to Town (2004) - Day 284, October 5th


I couldn't find part one of Peter Falk's weird 'angel ' trilogy. I do, however, find the third film, 2004’s When Angels Come to Town that teams Falk with the wonderful Married With Children’s Katey Sagal as a feisty fellow angel. In this slightly more satisfying follow-up, Max is back with Sagal playing his harangued celestial superior Jo. This one sees increasingly-senile Max manifesting in a small Maine town where he visits the department store workplace of Sally (Tammy Blanchard), a shopgirl fighting for custody of her little brother Jimmy (Alexander Conti). When Max “accidentally” leaves a bag behind before disappearing into thin air, it’s clear that something’s afoot.


 Soon, strict seraph supervisor Jo arrives on the scene to reprimand him - he’s only gone and left the bag at ‘606 Main Street’ when it was destined for number ‘909’. He had it upside down, d’oh! The fun really begins when Jo takes over the operation and tries to get the mystery package to struggling ornament store owner Karl (Senn Gallagher). Wouldn’t ya know it, Karl and Sally used to date and the angels’ divine mission slowly brings them back together again.


The twist I wholeheartedly enjoy is that Jo, warming to being back in the world of humans after a few too many centuries out of the game, decides she actually quite fancies Karl and tries to snag him for herself. There’s lots going on, with the whole weird love triangle thing and a mystery necklace that Karl’s father lost escaping the Nazis back in WWII . So, between cutesie romantic moments, there’s an upsetting custody battle for Jimmy and some distressing flashbacks to Nazi-occupied Europe. It’s quite the mix.


 Despite the wild tonal shifts the film remains fun, in no small part due to Sagal’s enjoyably ditzy performance. This one has more of a warm, floaty festive feel than Finding John Christmas and combined with the film’s enjoyably bombastic  orchestral score, this all adds up to an enjoyable Christmas mystery that piles on the yuletide veneer.  It’s strangely uplifting for a film about the holocaust.



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