Angela's Ashes

1999 • 145 minutes

About this movie

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir by Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes is an alternately funny and heartbreaking look at growing up in Ireland. Born in Brooklyn, NY, young Frank (Joe Breen) moves at an early age to Limerick, Ireland, with his parents Angela (Emily Watson) and Malachy (Robert Carlyle), who have been unable to support their family in America and are hoping for better prospects in their home country. But things hardly improve once they settle in Limerick; as McCourt puts it, "Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood. Worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood." Illness and death are commonplace in Limerick, and Malachy's drinking and inability to hold a job make matters worse. Angela's Ashes was directed by Alan Parker, who previously looked at Irish life in The Commitments (1991); Laura Jones wrote the screenplay.

Ratings and reviews

This movie was like a time capsule, of an bygone era. Very realistic & honest portrait of a beautiful & sometimes very strange & funny person. I recommend this movie although the adult situations made me little cringe.

after seeing this movie some years ago and reading the book, I struggled to find a copy online. I had been waiting for netflix to pick it up.

I first saw this movie in 2005 it was such a poor family, yet it made you laugh and cry as well as be hopeful.