Mother's Day Recommendation: The Trouble with Angels

 

         

              Well, everyone, it's that time of day to celebrate our own mothers who bore us into this mad, mad world. And their times where my own mother drives me bonkers at times, but then again I drive her bonkers so in a fair sense it's always typical driving one another to the point of madness. But all jokes a side my mom has always been a kind and caring mom who has always had a mind on faith and God. So, what better way to pick out a movie worthy for this Mother's Day Recommendation. The Trouble with Angles has been on my radar long before I look in my mom’s collection of favorite films. Furthermore, it occurred to me that this was another one of those films from my childhood but more importantly a movie I haven't seen in a long, long time.

              Mary (Haley Mills), and her friend Rachel (June Harding), are new students at St. Francis Academy, a boarding school run by an iron fist of Mother Superior (Rosaland Russell). The immature teens grow bored and begin playing pranks on both the unsuspecting nuns and their unpleasant classmates, becoming a constant thorn in Mother Superior's side. However, as the years pass, Mary and Rachel slowly mature and begin to see the nuns in a different light.

              The surprising factor I found about the movie is that the film itself is based on the novel by Jane Trahey, who actually based her novel on her own high school years at a Catholic school near Chicago and many of the incidents that you see in the movie were actually based on Jane's best friend who later in life became a nun herself so, when you think about it's amazing how God works in mysterious ways. After Trahey's successful book launch in 1962, Hollywood took notice in the book and under the producers of both Ken Donnellon and Jacqueline Babbin who knew Jane Trahey begin talks about wanting to make the film. Sadly, Trahey's story didn't become full force until two years after the books release by Columbia Pictures that the story would finally reach a green light signal, though before I go any further, you'd be amazed on the list of actresses you'd never expect would play any of the nuns from Barbara Stanwyck to even Loretta Young. The surprising thing I found about the movie is a lot of talents behind the film that I didn't realize I've seen their work, Ida Lupino who directs the Trouble with Angles was widely known for directing a lot of movies through the years but what I found surprising most was that she was the first female director to ever direct a film noir film aka The Hitch-Hiker, for which I remember watching on YouTube and thought it was a great movie from start to finish but then again I had no idea Lupino actually directed the movie. Even though she had a successful career as a director through he forties and early fifties she later was on was basically stuck in doing a lot of television episodes or shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Fugitive until she was hired by Columbia to direct what was her final movie, in a fair comparison she's the Patty Jenkins before Patty Jenkins launched her career with Monster and Wonder Woman. To be honest, it's kind of a strange mystery as to how I was hooked onto this movie mainly because this film was in a sense marketed to young girls with barely any boys involved. Though I may assume that my mom went to a Catholic school growing up as well as her own sisters so, I would imagine that when this film came out this was up their alley in terms of movies they can relate to. Moreover all I remember about this movie is the two girls getting into constant trouble with some of the pranks being funny to watch especially with the bubbles in the tea, and watching the movie now it does have great comedic value to it as well as seeing a lighter side to all nuns in general, because we've all seen movies about nuns in the horror section there always portrayed as either demons or abusive monsters to kids, then of course we all remember seeing Dana Carvey's Church Chat on SNL were he brings his real life experiences into one Church lady even though his character wasn't a nun but almost the same thing, right? But 'more importantly what I like about the movie is that it brings out both characters of Mother Superior and Mary played by Haley Mills where each of them are so, different but through the course of the movie you begin to see a mutual respect with one another, especially when Mother Superior is almost close to expelling the girls and begins to see Mary's bad influence of her uncle and his many secretaries she begins to have a change of heart and wants to be a positive role model for her. Watching the movie through I have to admit that with the right story idea you can probably remake this movie for a new generation even though this is very sixties, you can for sure have some comedic moments like the girls listening to Arianna Grande or Meagan thee Stallion hell even Sabrina Carpenter furthermore have a contest of the girls doing a raunchy dance for a completion contest because once I saw the outfits for the marching band I had a huge laugh that they would allow it but in a warm heart you begin to see character development. For certain this was a movie worth seeing moreover re-watching a beloved classic that I haven't touched since childhood and now doubt I would recommend watching this movie with your mother's on this Mother's Day weekend, for many reasons the film has everything from great comedic writing, great acting moreover great directing but more importantly a great story about one rebellious teen needing a positive role model to guide her into the light, just like Johnathan Roumie being a positive role model for his apostles. And thank the good Lord that we have a cheap streaming service like Tubi to guide us into finding some of these great as well as underappreciative treasures because without Tubi I don't think we would survive in a crazy world without some great hidden gems that Tubi has in their collection.