Household Saints

R

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2 hr. 5 min.

Comedy

Drama

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List

68%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Nancy Savoca's star-studded indie gem is a chronicle of a spirited Italian-American New York family that perfectly balances humor, tragedy, and pathos. Joseph Santangelo (Vincent D'Onofrio) is a butcher with a wicked sense of humor who "wins" his wife Catherine (a stellar Tracey Ullman) in a pinochle game. Over the protests of his mother (Judith Malina) who talks to ghosts and makes deals with saints, Joseph marries Catherine. When the old lady dies, her spirit is channeled into her granddaughter Teresa who overtakes the film with her yearning to serve God.

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Berezin S

Excellent. Shows Italian family in non-mob movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

david f

A film about 3 generations of an Italian-American family in a borough of NYC.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Being second generation Italian-American, with a Father who was famous for his scrumptious homemade sausage, going to Catholic School, living in these time periods, and loving Puccini--well, I have to admit y perspective on this film is bound to be a bit skewed. That said, I strongly believe 50% of the critics have messed up on this one. The story evolves as half-reality, half-myth, with a heavy does of nostalgia for a time not so long ago, rendering it capable of being read in any way that a viewer might want to. Believers will adore its quiet intensity, in the character of the young girl/woman brought to life in a tour de force by the wonderful Lilly Taylor. Non-believers will on board with her anti-religion father (at least until the last few minutes), another great job of acting by the talented Vincent D'Onofrio. Yet the real acting surprise here is comedian Tracy Ullman who was able to transform herself into a very believable and sensitive portrayal of a shy and sheltered young Italian-American woman going through profound transformation in the two decades through which the story unfolds. I was precisely the same age as Teresa Santangelo at the time the Pope was supposed to reveal the Third Prophecy at Fatima (believers convinced that the Virgin Mary appeared to 3 simple farm children revealing great secrets, the first of two which proved to come true); like her, I was greatly disappointed when he chose not to reveal it. Rumors still abound as to the reason why. But its importance in the story is that this propels the little girl Teresa into the young adult with a hyper-religiosity which rules the rest of her life. There is great comedy in the scene where a somewhat bawdy yet polite young Jesus appears to her and causes her to see hundreds of checkered shirts like the one she is ironing for her creepy and overenthusiastic boyfriend. It returns near the end where she describes God the Father as a fan of the very same thumb-scale tilting and cheating at pinochle that marks her own father. Throw in the marvelous Grandmother from the Old Country, with her strange beliefs that the uneducated had back there, and the fact that her father "wins" her mother as his wife in the one pinochle game that he did not cheat at (drawing nothing but hearts, a mathematical absurdity), and that Teresa may very well have become a modern version of the very Saint that she modeled her life after, and I see a marvelous story, told with verve and imagination, sensitive and touching while believing in itself. Ignore the critics and listen to me--this is a gem that should not be missed, even now 24 years after its release.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

aswesome debut from filmmaker nancy savoca ("union square")

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

I loved this film! It was quirky and funny with a great cast of actors that would become my favorites.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

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Audience Member

A top-notched cast, a great story and enough magic for any magical realism fan! It's a shame that it is not on DVD yet- hopefully it will be soon.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Nancy Savoca

Director

Tracey Ullman

Catherine Falconetti

Vincent D'Onofrio

Joseph Santangelo

Lili Taylor

Teresa Carmela Santangelo

Judith Malina

Carmela Santangelo

Michael Rispoli

Nicky Falconetti

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Household Saints: Trailer 1

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 5.5/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

This warm-hearted jewel of a movie was directed by Nancy Savoca, whose previous films are True Love and Dogfight (which also starred the priceless Lili Taylor). She treasures eccentricity in people.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Jourdain Searles

Reverse Shot

There are no simple answers to these questions, and Savoca forces us to sit with our unease.

Feb 5, 2024

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Saints has that unmistakable feel of a literary conceit that can’t fully translate to the screen. But it’s disarmingly offbeat, and provides a memorable role for Taylor right in the middle of her run as Queen of the Indies.

Feb 2, 2024

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Amy Taubin

Artforum

A memorable performance by Lili Taylor and an utterly transcendent ending.

Jan 27, 2024

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Synopsis

Nancy Savoca's star-studded indie gem is a chronicle of a spirited Italian-American New York family that perfectly balances humor, tragedy, and pathos. Joseph Santangelo (Vincent D'Onofrio) is a butcher with a wicked sense of humor who "wins" his wife Catherine (a stellar Tracey Ullman) in a pinochle game. Over the protests of his mother (Judith Malina) who talks to ghosts and makes deals with saints, Joseph marries Catherine. When the old lady dies, her spirit is channeled into her granddaughter Teresa who overtakes the film with her yearning to serve God.

Director: Nancy Savoca
Executive Producer: Jonathan Demme
Screenwriter: Richard Guay, Nancy Savoca
Distributor: Fine Line Features
Production Co: Jones Entertainment Group, Newman-Guay Productions
Rating: R (Two Scenes of Sexuality)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 15, 1993, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jan 12, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 12, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $31.2K
Sound Mix: Stereo, Surround

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