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''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. It was actor
Jerry Orbach Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a " ...
's final film before his death from prostate cancer in 2004 and
Shelley Duvall Shelley Alexis Duvall (born July 7, 1949) is an American actress and producer who is known for her portrayals of distinct, often eccentric characters. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Peab ...
's last film to star in until 2022.


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

*
Shirley Jones Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as ''Oklahoma!'' (1955), '' Carousel'' (1956), and ''The M ...
as Bunny *
Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won List of awards and nominations received by Cloris Leachman, many accolades, including eight Primetime ...
as Helen *
Louise Fletcher Estelle Louise Fletcher (July 22, 1934 – September 23, 2022) was an American actress who portrayed the antagonist Nurse Ratched in '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975), which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress, a BAFTA Award, ...
as Mother Superior * Ursula Burton as Sister Theresa *
Seymour Cassel Seymour Joseph Cassel (January 22, 1935 – April 7, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies and television shows, and had a career that spanned over 50 years. Cassel first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering in ...
as Stanley * Frank Gorshin as Ed *
Austin Pendleton Austin Campbell Pendleton (born March 27, 1940) is an American actor, playwright, theatre director, and instructor. He is known as a prolific character actor on the stage and screen who has appeared in films including '' Catch-22'' (1970); '' W ...
as "Two-Digit" Doyle *
Shelley Duvall Shelley Alexis Duvall (born July 7, 1949) is an American actress and producer who is known for her portrayals of distinct, often eccentric characters. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Peab ...
as Detective Dubrinski *
Jerry Orbach Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a " ...
as Waltz Contest Announcer * Maria Burton as Ramona *
Jill Eikenberry Jill Susan Eikenberry (born January 21, 1947) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as lawyer Ann Kelsey on the NBC drama '' L.A. Law'' (1986–94), for which she is a five-time Emmy Award and four-time G ...
as Dottie *
Harry Groener Harry Groener (born September 10, 1951) is a German-born American actor and dancer, perhaps best known for playing Mayor Wilkins in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (seasons 3, 4 and 7). Early life Groener was born in Augsburg, Bavaria, West Germa ...
as Tony * Vincent O'Neill as Monsignor Dailey * Drew Pillsbury as Mac / Bake *
Wendie Malick Wendie Malick (born December 13, 1950) is an American actress and former fashion model, known for her roles in various television comedies. She starred as Judith Tupper Stone in the HBO sitcom '' Dream On'', and as Nina Van Horn in the NBC sitc ...
as Inez * Cameron Watson as Patrick


Critical reception

Dave Kehr David Kehr (born 1953) is an American museum curator and film critic. For many years a critic at the ''Chicago Reader'' and the ''Chicago Tribune,'' he later wrote a weekly column for ''The New York Times'' on DVD releases. He later became a c ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' liked the film overall:


References


External links

* * 2002 films Films set in the 1960s Religious comedy films 2002 comedy films American comedy films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{2000s-comedy-film-stub