Close

DVD Review: ANGELS SING

Dec 06, 2015 Posted by in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

When Michael Walker (Harry Connick Jr., Dolphin Tale) was a child, he used to love Christmas, and always looked forward to celebrating the holidays. However, ever since a tragic event when he was around 10 years old, he has lost his Christmas spirit. Michael is now married to Susan (Connie Britton, Nashville), and has a 10-year-old son, David (Chandler Canterbury), of his own. He reluctantly agrees to spend Thanksgiving in San Antonio with his parents (Kris Kristofferson, Fionnula Flanagan) and sisters, but revisiting the family home brings back a lot of painful memories, and he decides they will not return for Christmas.

Back in Austin, the Walkers are desperately looking for a new home before their lease expires. Just when it seems hopeless, a mysterious man named Nick (Willie Nelson) makes Michael an unbelievable, to-good-to-be-true offer on their dream home. As the Walkers meet their new neighbors, they discover the catch—the home is located on a street known for it’s over-the-top Christmas cheer and decorations. Will Michael learn to face the demons of his past and rediscover the joy of the season he once had? Or will he pass his own Bah Humbug attitude towards the holidays on to his own son?

 

Angels Sing is a fun and heartwarming family film that is perfect for the holiday season. While it deals with the theme of loss, it also has some really funny, laugh-out-loud moments, and the overall message is an uplifting one. The film shows how it is better to not bottle up your grief, but rather work through it and rediscover the little joys in life.

Harry Connick Jr. delivers an excellent performance, both in the more dramatic scenes as well as in the film’s comedic moments. He and Connie Britton are great together on screen, and make a cute and believable couple. The supporting cast, which is filled with many familiar faces, is also quite talented.

There is a running gag in the film as each quirky new neighbor stops by the Millers’ home to introduce themselves with a Christmas carol. Not only does this lead to some hilarious moments, but we also get to see the talented cast they assembled for this film, which includes some well-known singers like Lyle Lovett and Willie Nelson.

Angels Sing was released a couple of years ago, and has become a holiday staple for many each year when it airs on the Hallmark Channel. I had never seen this film before, but now I can see why others have made it part of their holiday tradition.

Lionsgate has released the film on both Blu-ray and DVD. I was sent the DVD for review, and found the video and audio quality to be quite good. The picture was vibrant, clear and detailed and the audio track provided clear dialogue, and the musical performances sounded great. Unfortunately, there are no bonus features included on the disc, but it does include an Ultraviolet copy of the film so you can take the movie with you anyway you go. (The digital copy insert says that it may no longer be valid after 12/10/2014, but I was still able to redeem the code at the time of this review.)



What’s Included:
Film: (1:27:05)

    DVD:

    • 480p / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
    • Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1
    • Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

    Digital Copy:

    • UltraViolet SD Digital Copy

Extras:

  • Trailer Gallery (6:54)
    Trailers for other Lionsgate releases including “Grace Unplugged”, “Blue Like Jazz” and “Not Today”, plus an ad for the Epix movie channel.

 


Final Thoughts:

My Rating
Film:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Recommended

Angels Sing is a heartwarming family holiday film that is a perfect blend of humor and uplifting drama. The film airs regularly each season on the Hallmark Channel, but the DVD/Blu-ray makes it easy to watch wherever and whenever you want. Unfortunately there is no supplemental material included on the disc, but it’s certainly worth picking up if you’re a fan of the film, or are looking for a new holiday film to watch with the family.