Manna from Heaven (film)

Manna from Heaven is a 2002 film written by Gabrielle B. Burton and co-directed by her daughters Gabrielle C. Burton and Maria Burton. The film won awards at four film festivals.[1] It was actor Jerry Orbach's final film before his death from prostate cancer in 2004 and Shelley Duvall's final film before her retirement from acting in 2002.

Manna from Heaven
Movie Poster
Directed byGabrielle Burton
Maria Burton
Produced byGabrielle Burton
Charity Burton
Ursula Burton
Written byGabrielle B. Burton
StarringShirley Jones
Cloris Leachman
Seymour Cassel
Music byTimothy Jones
James T. Sale
CinematographyEdward Slattery
Edited byAndy Peterson
Robert Tate
Mattie Valentine
Production
company
Five Sisters Productions
Release date
  • 14 September 2002 (2002-09-14)
Running time
119 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$505,675 (USA)

Plot

Manna From Heaven is a comedic fable about what happens when you get a gift from God (a financial windfall), but many years later you find out it was a just a loan and it's due immediately. Once upon a time, many years ago, a neighborhood in Buffalo, NY is mysteriously showered with 20-dollar bills. Theresa, a young girl who everyone thinks is a saint, doesn't have much trouble convincing her loose-knit "family" that the money is a gift from Heaven. Years later, Theresa, who has become a nun, has an epiphany that it is time to pay the money back, so she calls the eccentric group together to repay the "loan." The problem is, nobody wants to give back the money, nobody has the money, they don't know to whom it belongs, and most of them can't stand each other. Along the way, the characters learn about family, romance, reconciliation and redemption, and by working together they begin to realize their full potential.

Principal cast

ActorRole
Shirley JonesBunny
Cloris LeachmanHelen
Louise FletcherMother Superior
Ursula Burton Sister Theresa
Seymour CasselStanley
Frank GorshinEd
Austin PendletonTwo-Digit Doyle
Shelley DuvallDetective Dubrinski
Jerry OrbachWaltz Contest Announcer
Maria Burton Ramona

Critical reception

Dave Kehr of The New York Times liked the film overall:

A product neither of Hollywood nor the New York-Sundance indie axis, Manna From Heaven is a true outsider film, and while it would be easy to fault its lack of technical polish, somewhat discursive script and uneven performances, it is also refreshingly sincere, gentle and good-natured.[2]

References


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