No News from God (2001) User Reviews

Cruz and Abril are out of this world!

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 14 May 2008]

Needing a bit of comedy after the Danish film, Craig, I turn to the ever luscious Penelope Cruz who, along with Victoria Abril, are sure to delight.

To say that Cruz is hot is putting it mildly, as she plays an inhabitant of Hell who is sent to Earth to grab the soul of a losing, debt-ridden, boxer (Demián Bichir). Heaven sends their own representative and the battle is on.

Abril, who falls short of her most skintastic performance, nevertheless gives us a glimpse of her heavenly body as she plays the misogynistic boxer's wife. Cruz keeps it hot as she struts and dances, but does keep it on as the boxer's cousin. Why the bum doesn't stray is a big mystery.

Gael García Bernal (The Crime of Father Amaro, Bad Education, babel) plays the administrator of Hell, who becomes concerned about a corporate takeover by the rich, who are working to convince everyone that they are not really bad, but victims of society. Sides become blurred as the need to continue the existence of good and evil, and Heaven and Hell become more important that who gets the soul.

Fanny Ardant (8 Women, Paris, je t'aime), Elena Anaya (Van Helsing), and Gemma Jones (Bridget Jones Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason), and Elsa Pataky (Snakes on a Plane, Romasanta) all add to the fun.

Fun and bemusing Spanish comedy with a stellar duo and a large support cast

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 18 November 2012]

"Don't Tempt Me" is a very pleasant action comedy plenty of humor , surrealist dialogs , emotion , spectacular scenes and mayhem . Heaven and hell send their best agents to Earth , and they're wearing heels . Two angels are on Earth , one named Lola (Victoria Abril) from the heaven and one named Carmen (Penelope Cruz) from the hell, come to save a boxer named Many (Damian Bichir) who finds his soul to be the object of a metaphysical fight.

This exciting film results to be a surrealist comedy/action/drama/thriller and displays an all Spanish star-cast. The singer played by Victoria Abril and the former mobster performed by Penelope Cruz star this dark story of redemption about heaven and hell ; both of whom have a violent confrontation to accomplish their objectives . Rightly enjoyable and fun-filled , milestone comedy which neatly combines humor , mirth , entertaining situations and amusement . The funny screenplay manages a lot of laughs from the audience and twisted elements that you never loose your attention from the film . The only flaw I can find is that some of the story lines are overwhelmingly absurd and some character arcs end up being implausible . Some situations are laugh out loud ridiculous and the story proceeds at a breakneck speed that never falls flat .Pay attention as one couple of younger actors very well played by Victoria Abril and Penelope Cruz alternate with the other pair of older players perfectly performed by Fanny Ardant and Emilio Gutierrez Caba . I liked everyone in the excellent cast, and the male and female actors , they were all very attractive . Flawless and fantastic story full of twists and turns with a duo of sensational protagonists , including an unforgettable Penelope Cruz , she parades and dances sexily at her best and more relaxed and enticing than ever . The hit of the show is undoubtedly for the fetching Penelope who gives one of the best screen acting . The support cast is top-notch as Elsa Pataky , Luis Tosar , Gael Garcia Bernal , Gemma Jones , Cristina Marcos , Elena Anaya , Bruno Bichir , Juan Echanove and many others . And cameos by Javier Bardem in the closing credits, as we learn that Penélope Cruz was changed back into a man in the afterlife , then we see the man's photo , it is Javier Bardem ; furthermore , the photo Victoria Abril puts into the album shows the mother of Manny , the woman in this photo is the actress Pilar Bardem . Atmospheric and appropriate musical score by the recently deceased Bernardo Bonezzi . Colorful and adequate cinematography by Paco Femenia .

Agustin Diaz Yanes' return to top form , with an intelligent and engaging script which uses amusing situations to give us a good movie in fast pace , entertaining events , plot twists and that kept me entertained for the almost two hours of duration . Diaz Yanes is a fine craftsman , thanks to his reputation as screenwriter and the support of Victoria Abril he was able to set up his first film as director: "Nobody Will Speak of Us When We're Dead " that became the greatest hit of Spanish cinema at its release in 1995 and the Festival San Sebastian , including best actress to Victoria Abril . Yanes subsequently directed the successful ¨Alatriste¨ and ¨Solo Quiero Caminar¨ that failed at Spanish box office .

alright, but nothing you should go out of your way to see.

[mackey3000 · 6/10 · 4 July 2005]

Augustin Diaz Yates heaven-vs.-earth satire DON'T TEMPT ME is really NOTHING that hasn't been done before, and in better films. An angel from heaven (Victoria Abril) and an angel from hell (some Spanish chick named Penélope Cruz...lol!} fight over the soul of a brutish boxer (Demiån Bichir). The way the plot develops is predictable, as is the ending. But there are laughs around the way, most of them provided by Cruz. I can't begin to comprehend why she's such a dull, tedious, unconvincing actress in American films when she's proved to be such a vibrant, energetic and entertaining actress in Spanish films. And while she's made better films (BELLE EPOQUE, JAMON JAMON, LIVE FLESH, ABRE LOS OJOS and even the American ABRE remake VANILLA SKY), I think this is definitely her best performance yet. Her character is the most interesting and entertaining figure during the entire duration of the film, and one of the reasons she gets the biggest laughs is because the screenwriter gave her most of the best lines. The ridiculously talented and versatile Gael Garcia Bernal is a total hoot as a top CEO in hell who's a mix of Spike from BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and Tony Shalhoub's eccentric shyster in THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE. He's so much fun that the movie is hurt because he's a supporting character who only appears in a few scenes, and so many of the lead characters are so one-note and tiring we keep waiting for him to show up more to liven things up. Anyways, this isn't a very good film, certainly one you may not remember for a long, but the good aspects in it kept me entertained...most of the time. B-

"Don't Tempt Me"- a hilarious comedy of morals and comment on modern life

[LesHalles · 9 November 2002]

This was one of the most enjoyable film experiences I have had this year. I saw the film at the AFI festival in Los Angeles; it is going to be released in the US in April under the title "Don't Tempt Me."

Cruz (devil) and Abril (angel) are cast against type and it works very well, Cruz giving one of her best performances. Bernal is also memorable as a very likeable devil, and Birchir is completely convincing as the frustrated boxer whose soul hangs in the balance.

The film starts out with an amazing bit of philosophical exposition, a shock for anyone who is used to watching Hollywood fare. You can't imagine dialogue like this is a Hollywood film; yet it is funny, captivating, brilliant. The humor in the film is, by American standards, sophisticated and intelligent; yet the film is full of sexual imagery and violence (nothing extreme but energizing to the story) and is highly accessible. It should appeal to a fairly wide audience, especially since there are so many Spanish speakers in the US.

It's a superb and entertaining morality play, with the action, drama and comedy tightly interwoven; with a political subtext that itself is the driving force behind the film.

Hell is portrayed as an English speaking corporation in the American style (although staffed with Europeans), and Heaven mostly takes place in a French-speaking Parisian nightclub. The Earth scenes are in Spain, and the meetings between angels and devils in Latin. This all works very well and the subtitles are easy to follow.

The soundtrack begins with a Dylan song I hadn't heard before, too.

Kung Cruz Fighting

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 30 August 2003]

Greetings again from the darkness. Although this is a very watchable film with some nice acting, it could have been so much more. I am not familiar with the history of this film and why it is shown to be released in 2001 and only now hitting the theatres in Dallas. Basically, Penelope Cruz and Victoria Abril are two angles sent from opposite teams, if you know what I mean, to compete for the soul of Manny. My biggest problem with the story is that we never give a hoot about Manny and his boxing or his wife abuse or his extortion. He is not a likable guy, or even really a dislikable guy. So this leaves us to decide between the two teams and their angels. Cruz is wonderful as the (quite manly) angel from hell. Her mannerisms are right on and make her character someone we want to know more about. Her adversary, Lola, played by Victoria Abril, is much less defined and somewhat boring for most of the movie. The interesting premise, although never really explained, is that Manny's soul is a crucial one for heaven, which faces bankruptcy and possibly even a liquidation sale. Much more could have been done with this. Writer/Director Agustin Diaz Yanis may have potential, but did very little to make this one work. The other performance that jumps off the screen comes from Gael Garcia Bernal, who is on quite the roll with the recent "Crimes of Father Amaro" and "Y Tu Mama Tambien". He is electric on the screen. Definitely worth seeing, but a bit frustrating with the missed opportunities.

God on Autopilot

[nycritic · 7/10 · 4 March 2007]

In Agustin Yanes' SIN NOTICIAS DE DIOS (badly translated into English as DON'T TEMPT ME, which in reality should have been NO NEWS FROM GOD), Heaven is a luxurious black-and-white nightclub perpetually set in the Fifties, administered by Marina D'Angelo (Fanny Ardant) and entertained by Lola (Victoria Abril). Hell is a soup kitchen where people speak English, where its administrator (Gael Garcia Bernal) looks like a kingpin right out of "Miami Vice" and where Carmen (Penelope Cruz), a lipstick lesbian works as a waitress, much to her disgust (since she later reveals she was a drug lord on Earth and weeps when seeing GOODFELLAS). Both angels have been summoned by their bosses to claim the soul of one stupid boxer (Demian Bichir). Here is when the story turns into PULP FICTION, but with none of its originality. True, some of the funnier scenes involve business transactions between diplomatic representatives of Heaven and Hell and some rich dialog between Ardant and Bernal, as opposites who appear to have quite a bit in common (more than they would dare reveal but only hint at through JD Salinger's book "The Catcher in the Rye"). Other than that, I didn't quite get the whole mess that the convoluted story is and a subplot where two cops (Cristina Marcos and Luis Tosar) are also after Bichir's tail leads nowhere. It's a shame, because there is a scene where the very masculine character Cruz plays (a man trapped in a sexpot's body) threatens Marcos with doing something rather nasty to her with a fork, but that never happens. As a matter of fact, Cruz's character is really the only interesting one of the lot (Abril's Lola is thankless, suffering in elegant silence until she decides to shoot 'em up) because of the ambiguity she represents. She would have the been the real reason to concoct a story out of as a person sent back to Earth as Hell for some serious expiation in the wrong gender. SWITCH, but with a dark twist. Needless to say, that didn't make the cut and all that remains is this half-baked attempt at a post-modern mediation of what it is to be good and evil and the grey area in between.

Heaven is boring. Hell is depressing. This movie is both.

[Elori · 2/10 · 16 July 2006]

Heaven and hell are fighting over a soul once again, and of course they send their representatives over to Earth to try and make the soul go in the "right" direction. The soul in question is a has-been boxer Many, who for much of the movie is uninteresting and unappealing. The agents from Heaven and Hell happen to be women, and the two otherworldly planes and their agents have been modernized, using cell phones and operating like modern businesses. No, it is not at any point for, new or imaginative.

There is only one interesting turn of the plot the movie, and it's more of a sidenote, not elaborated on in the least. The majority of the movie is spent on absolutely nothing. The angels never get a good fight going, there never seems to be any actual battle for the soul which is supposed to be ultimately important. No, I'm not referring to actual physical battles, rather to battles of wills. Instead, there is an absolutely needless and gratuitous bloodbath near the end of the movie.

Add in a highly questionable note that women are of a lesser value than men, and you have Sin noticias de Dios: an absolutely uninspiring and boring movie without pretty much any content at all. Agustín Díaz Yanes as the director and writer is completely lost on what makes an interesting and appealing movie, and as a result of his ineptitude, the actors are fumbling on screen as well without any personality to show. There are absolutely no redeeming qualities in the film at all. If Hell existed, this movie would be going to the lowest levels.

Funny, Ironical and Charming – One of the Most Original Comedies I Have Ever Seen

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 7 March 2006]

When the leaders of Heaven and Hell, Marina D'Angelo (Fanny Ardant) and Davenport (Gael García Bernal) respectively, decide to fight for the soul of the decadent boxer Manny (Demián Bichir), they send their best agents to Earth. The singer Lola Nevado (Victoria Abril) from Heaven and the former gangster Carmen Ramos (Penélope Cruz) from Hell are assigned to get his soul, and they have a tough dispute to accomplish their mission.

"Sin Noticias de Dios" is one of most original comedies I have ever seen. The story is very funny, ironical and charming, with splendid lines and dialogs in the screenplay. The direction is very precise; the wonderful cast, with a very charming and sexy Penélope Cruz; a stunning (as usual) Victoria Abril singing in a perfect Portuguese; an elegant and classy Fanny Ardant; and a very funny Gael García Bernal, has also the participation of Demián Bichir (from "Sexo Pudor Y Lágrimas", "Santitos" and "In the Time of the Butterflies"), Elsa Pataky (from "Beyond Re-Animator" and "Romasanta") and an uncredited last scene with Javier Bardem. The vision of Heaven as Paris, Hell as an American prison (could be a South-American one – certainly they are worse) and the Hell's administrator as an American president in his car with his body-guards are absolutely hilarious. Victoria Abril singing "I'm Evil" and Penélope Cruz dancing an extremely sexy dance are delightful. I highly recommend this movie, which has two (2) wins and seventeen (17) nominations of festivals, for those viewers that like a refreshing and very different comedy. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Sem Notícias de Deus" ("Without News From God")

Pretentious as it gets

[looneyfarm · 3/10 · 3 January 2004]

I had pretty high expectations for this film, mainly owing to the interesting cast. But seeing the movie.. man, have I ever been so disappointed!

Sin noticias de Dios is a very pointless, pretentious showcase of previous achievements of popular cinema. There's everything from modern reading of Christian religion (Dogma did this much better and even that flick sucked) to lesbian love (Bound, anyone?), but still it is missing its own point of view and especially any coherence. I can very well imagine how this movie gets five stars in women's magazines and trendy periodicals.

So, if goofy shallowness turns you on, this is your movie, but if you have any respect for yourself and movies with actual content, there are a whole better films to see.

Brilliant! Abril and Cruz are dynamite!

[Hermit C-2 · 10/10 · 17 October 2003]

Many observers have noted that at first glance on paper one might think this is a Pedro Almodovar film, what with Victoria Abril cast in it, among other things. Well, I haven't seen too much of Almodovar's work, and I knew nothing about director Augustin Diaz Yanes when I entered the theatre to see this film. But I wonder, did Almodovar show such promise so early in his career? From the first few minutes I was captivated by the movie and I stayed enthralled throughout. By the time Penelope Cruz was dancing around to "Kung Fu Fighting" I knew this was a rare film indeed (and no, it's no rip-off of 'Pulp Fiction,' either!)

For all it's audaciousness, the premise has been used many times before. Like 'Paradise Lost,' the battlefield is Heaven, Hell and Earth. But the specifics are a little more prosaic: angels from Heaven and Hell fight for their survival over the soul of a rather ordinary mortal, a not-to-bright or personable boxer. Heaven and Hell are presented as distinctly mortal-like places--Heaven is nice, but hardly the celestial paradise we envision, and Hell is unpleasant, but nothing nearly as bad as Dante imagined. The two places are run like competing businesses, it would seem, and the CEO God (and presumably Satan in his own realm) is AWOL--apparently he's too tired or disinterested to bother with the details of running the place, leaving that task up to lesser creatures. Right now Hell seems to have the upper hand. Heaven is somehow almost bankrupt and may well go under if they can't snag this one earthbound soul, the aforementioned boxer, who fate has cast in some great future role that we never fully understand. But there's trouble brewing in Hell, too, and even though they've got the advantage over Heaven at the moment, there are internecine power struggles to worry about there. So each each side dispatches an agent to try to win over Manny, this boxer who unwittingly holds the fate of this world and those beyond in his hands.

That's where Abril and Cruz come in, and they are just a joy to watch for the almost two hours this flick runs. Abril is Lola the heavenly angel who ingratiates herself in Manny's life as his wife, and Cruz is Carmen, who poses as his long-lost cousin (Manny isn't the brightest crayon in the box so he can be convinced that all of a sudden he has a five-year marriage he doesn't remember.) Lola and Carmen thrust and parry throughout the film, but on a surprisingly cordial level--Carmen isn't as bad as one would expect a denizen of Hell to be and neither woman seems possessed of any otherworldly powers; they go about their business in a very earthly way. You combine a great script, two outstanding performances and excellent direction and not surprisingly you get a first-rate film, as good as any I've seen this year. This is not quite Orson Welles and 'Citizen Kane' here, but it put me in mind of it, it's that good.

Heaven on earth is hell!

[jotix100 · 5/10 · 9 September 2003]

The fact that this film lasted 2 weeks at the Angelika, the mecca for hipness and cool in Manhattan, says a lot about it. At the screening I attended there were about 8 people. During the film about 3 got up and left, obviously not pleased with what they were watching. It speaks volumes as to how even the sophisticated tastes of the Angelika patrons couldn't care less about it.

Agustin Diaz Yaniz might be a talented director, but unfortunately, he doesn't show a thing to make a compelling film, or even a black comedy out of the thin material he has written.

The central story about Victoria Abril husband's dilemma is totally absurd. Poor Victoria, she deserves better. Manny, the husband, is a jerk who is not only a loser in the ring, but he can't cut the mustard, or is a good lover. The extortion scheme is not believable at all.

The rest of the cast is totally wasted. Poor Penelope Cruz-Cruise, she goes from one dud to another. That girl's career is going nowhere. Who is advising her on what roles to take? Probably a former Cruise groupie. She goes from bad to worse.

A word of advice to Gael Garcia Bernal: If it's not Pedro Almodovar who calls you for a film, stay home!. You're better off than participating in this little number that is below you. Ditto to Fanny Ardant.

When Heaven and Hell Have A Fight Over A Fallen Boxer

[Chrysanthepop · 1 February 2012]

Agustín Díaz Yanes's mesmerizing, quirky and funny 'Sin Noticias de Dios' is a refreshing take on heave and hell on earth. With an original and amusing premise and strong writing, it is a fun ride all the way. I haven't seen anything like it. The humour is a good mix of quirkiness, dryness and sarcasm that works on multiple levels. It's funny how a black and white 50's French setting is chosen to depict heaven while a dirty (perhaps South American prison) setting is chosen to portray hell. Similarly language selection is interesting as French is spoken in heaven, English is spoken in hell and Spanish on Earth.

Heaven is shown as a very romantic, classy and glamorous place to be at (a bit like the romanticized image one sees in classic French films) while hell is quite the opposite. Fanny Ardant and Gemma Jones play the leaders of the respective places (and they're both terrific). Their character recruit Carmen and Lola to conquer fallen boxer Manny's soul. Of course battle ensues when the two recruits come face to face but not the way you think.

Yanes assembles a n enviable cast that includes Penelope Cruz, Victoroia Abril, Gemma Jones, Gael Garcia Bernal, Elena Anaya, Elsa Pataky, Fanny Ardant, Demián Bichir, Cristina Marcos, Peter McDonald, Luis Tosar and more. All the actors do a great job. Abril sure is stunning and she sure can sing. Her rendition of 'I Want To Be Evil' is a must-see. Penelope Cruz has a tricky role and she does full justice to it. She is sexy, spunky, streetsmart and not to be messed with but at the same time she's just 'like one of the guys'. Saying more would be revealing too much.

On the technical side, it's a very well made film. Colour is used very effectively. The cinematography is first rate. I especially enjoyed the long single shots. And of course, the soundtrack is magic.

'Sin Noticias de Dios' is one of a kind. I'm surprised it's received so little recognition but it's a thrill ride all the way.

Good actors in a not so good movie

[McHuevo · 5/10 · 23 June 2002]

The only thing that keeps this movie from being a total flaw is the actors. It has some of the best actresses of Spain and some of the best actors of Mexico.

Their previous performances made me want to go see "Bendito Infierno", as it is known here in Mexico, but I got very disappointed. Simply said, the story is stupid and illogic.

It has many funny moments, but then again it's all due to the cast.

You'll never hear me saying "Don't watch this movie" in any review. I say you have to see a lot of movies, bad and good, to build your own criterion. So: go see this movie, but don't get your expectations too high.

Enjoyable film, comic use of languages

[f. baez · 9/10 · 24 June 2002]

This is quite an enjoyable comedy, tough it probably is not for all cultures. The idea of an outdated, black & white French Heaven and an English speaking hell run by Brits with a sick sense of humor and a corrupt Mexican manager with a Swiss passport is brilliant. The use of Latin as the lingua franca between devils and saints is absolutely comic. Even if the screenplay has some loopholes and flaws, the dialogue was hilarious; the acting, in most cases, very good, and it has some unforgettable characters: like the the corrupt woman cop, capable of punching the devil himself.

Heaven can wait (dvd)

[leplatypus · 4/10 · 16 June 2013]

The first reaction I got discovering the title was to think that it should be spiritual otherwise it would have been stupid to put "God" in there.

So, when I watched the making-off, I was delighted to see that it was spiritually loaded as it deals with a good-evil fight about a soul. I thought that the story was pretty original, all the more that it's rather unusual in a European production. The writer-director was inspired, had great ideas for depicting hell and heaven and achieved to reunite a interesting cast.

Motivated to watch the movie, I fall down quickly. The directing is slow, slug and nothing really happens. It takes nearly twenty minutes to get to the point of meeting the chosen one with his two angels. The spiritual incentives are rather weak as April isn't really good incarnated and Pénélope isn't very devil either. The Rocky syndrome (don't box again otherwise you die) is very peripheral and we are throw in a union fight rather! At least, I waited for the fantastic preview I saw in the making-of when Penélope lip-synches a Spanish song enthusiastically while dressing to get out. Well, the movie chose another take and it lost all the punch and sensuality that Penélope gave in the making-off.

I wouldn't say that the road to Hell is paved with all those good intentions but it's definitely not as successful that I expected and it's one of the few movies I know where the making-off is actually better than the movie itself!

Utterly Irresistible

[cyrus33139 · 9/10 · 28 February 2003]

I just saw this movie at the Miami Film Festival and I can't recommend it enough. It has an original premise, great characters portrayed by strong actors, a good script and a refreshingly creative way of telling the story. The story centers on the at times friendly competition between heaven and hell for the soul of a boxer (Demian Bichir)who's really not worth saving. Heaven sends an angel (Victoria Abril) and hell sends a waitress/dark angel (Penélope Cruz) to persuade him. Heaven is portrayed as a black-and-white 1950s Paris and hell looks an awful lot like America but sounds a lot like Britain. One of the most creative aspects of this film is the use of language. When the story is taking place in Heaven, French is spoken. In hell it's English and in the real world it's Spanish. The use of language is much more than aesthetics, it is definitely a commentary. The actors flow from one language to another with grace. Speaking of the actors, Abril is absolutely exciting as she brings natural old-fashioned glamour back to the screen and Cruz is simply brilliant in this film. Other performances by Gael Garcia Bernal as the CEO of hell and Cristina Marcos as a rogue cop are outstanding. Really, see it for yourself...you'll be so happy you did.

Bad Movie

[M-27 · 3/10 · 10 December 2001]

When I saw this movie I could not believe that it could be such a bad movie. After seeing the first movie of the director, a very interesting movie,I expected a better movie. I think the story is unbelievable and the movie is made only for the two main characters. I can not say anything good about the movie then I am going to finish my comment

Penelope Cruz is "Kung-Fu Fighting"!

[cinefilegod · 17 April 2004]

Entertaining. Unique in style. It's a story about an angel from Heaven and a fallen angel from Hell who both compete over the soul of a boxer.

Penelope's role in this film is more of a far cry than in her previous roles. Normally, she is cast as a beautiful object of desire, as in Vanilla Sky, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, All the Pretty Horses and Woman on Top. She has even been cast as a slightly less-than-attractive, but still desired woman, as in Blow and Gothika. For the first time, Penelope Cruz is actually shot in an almost undesirable way in this film - even letting herself get beat up a couple of times. She does pull it off, and the film succeeds as an off-kilter dark comedy with that Hollywood "Heaven vs. Hell" factor added in.

It is worth it, if for nothing else, to see Penelope dance around her room "Travolta style" to the song "Kung-Fu Fighting".

Don't waste your time

[=G= · 5/10 · 19 February 2004]

"Don't Tempt Me" is a tale of two angels, a sweet woman from Heaven (Abril) and a dyke (Cruz) with a bad attitude from hell, who vie for the soul of a boxer. A lame comedy which goes no place and plays out like 90 minutes of purposeless busy work, this flick is a good example of well done bad ideas. Slammed by the critics for obvious reasons, "Don't Tempt Me" is one for the dumpster. (C)

Penelope more than what you see in Hollywood

[javiera-4 · 10/10 · 29 June 2006]

I absolutely loved this film, it was really good, with very good humor and great acting. What I hated to see what some other viewer's comment saying how good it is to see Penelope in some other role than just your average sexy woman with no actual personality.. that's pure nonsense. Penelope has always been a good actress - outside Hollywood. Before making that stupid move, she has been in a great many films with extremely good roles. It took Hollywood to come in to make her "just an attractive woman" in all the movies. Take for example movies from Almodovar... there isn't a single one movie where she is just a pretty face. This movie is from before Hollywood - hence the actual acting.

Unique film

[El_Chango · 5/10 · 1 December 2001]

SIN NOTICIAS DE DIOS is Agustin Diaz Yañez's second film as a director, and it shows. But the flaws of the director do not make this a bad film. A good script, great ensemble cast and solid ideas are enough to get this film off the ground. Penelope Cruz and Victoria Abril have a great on screen chemistry, and do not overshadow each other. Demian Bichir (the third corner on this triangle) is also great, completely trasformed for his role as a mexican boxer on the edge. The cast is filled with cameos and special appearances by great actors (Bruno Bichir, Emilio Gutierrez Caba, a great Cristina Marcos, etc.) but the most notable are the young Gael Garcia Bernal who get to share a couple of scenes with the beautiful -and talented- Fanny Ardant and holds his own.

Four languages!

[murcielago17 · 8/10 · 8 March 2003]

Amusing film which is in four languages! Do your best to get an original copy, not a dubbed one. The language of hell is English, the language of heaven is French, the angels communicate to each other in Latin, and the language of Earth is Spanish. It's worth it just for that. Good acting, creative story and filming.

A very funny pastiche of 2000

[massimocrispi · 10/10 · 6 March 2016]

At first it's a film for a multilingual and multicultural public. Then it's a film with several levels. Actors are simply fantastic. The idea of the three kingdoms of the World, Hell, Earth, Heaven, everyone with a specific language (English for Hell, Spanish for Earth, French for Heaven) and Latin for the Court, is very hilarious and suggestive. More: the idea of a snobbish, Forties, b/w Heaven, where the good angel Lola (Victoria Abril) is a star of the stage in the Paradise, a stylish theater/restaurant, singing AND DANCING (!!!) "Meditação" by Jobim (white dressed) and later "I wanna be evil" (black dressed), both in Rita Hayworth style, is only one of the thousands engaging details and quotes that fill the film. Also the opening is very hilarious: the good angel, Abril, and the bad demon, Cruz, masked while robbing the supermarket, are debating about the theological and philosophic reasons of Good and Evil. Rarely a film is so clever, surrealistic, funny, well played, well turned and balanced like this one. If you forgive me the analogy, it's like a drink with Cukor, Capra, Hitchcock, Fellini, De Palma, Risi, Brooks, Truffaut, Oury, shaken and served with a perfume of Almodóvar. Excellent.

Battle of angels from Heaven and Hell over the soul of a inconsequential boxer.

[streetbuff · 9/10 · 7 February 2012]

This unique story revolves around an angel from Heaven and a fallen angel from Hell who are both sent to Earth to compete over the soul of a boxer.

In great contrast to so many of her Hollywood movie roles, Penelope Cruz is shot in this film as a less than desirable character. In fact, the most enjoyable part of the movie results from the fact that the angel from Hell that Cruz is playing is the condemned should of a former mafia hit-man or thug, so all through the movie she is playing an angel pretending to be a human, but also was only ever a man in real life so she has to pretend to be a woman while fulfilling her angel role on Earth. So Cruz pretending to be a man at heart who is awkwardly trying to pretend to be a woman creates a magnificent off-kilter dark comedy. If for nothing else, the movie is worth viewing just to see Penelope dance around her room (in the style a man would dance) to the original 1970's song "Kung-Fu Fighting".

Kind of like the live version of "Inferno"

[GOWBTW · 9/10 · 16 November 2008]

If anyone has read Dante's "Inferno" this movie would be perfect. You got two angels; one from Heaven, and one from Hell. One is confident and competent. The other is cocky, immature and defiant. And all the other agents from that dimension can't look up to her. The goal: save a boxer. He has head trauma, and if he ever boxes again, he's a goner. One acts of as the wife, the other one acts out as the cousin. The boxer isn't too much of a righteous one. He's brutal, boozing and always causing trouble. When the angels from Heaven and Hell got into a pinch, they get desperate. So they ended up robbing the supermarket, which was doing some criminal activity itself; they were making counterfeit money! Penelope Cruz and Victoria Abril did a great job on this movie. It contain everything: drama, comedy, music, and a sense of moral which makes it very interesting. I liked it! 4 out of 5 stars!