Manna from Heaven

Essentially a home movie--produced by five sisters, directed by two of them and starring a third, and written by their mother, who also appears in it along with her husband and other relatives--even the theatrical release of Manna from Heaven was a family affair: the sisters literally carried prints from city to city and took questions from the audiences. Unfortunately, while there is a certain charm to all this familial effort, it doesn't make this feeble comedy any better. The film centers on a group of Buffalo, NY families who strike it rich one day when a shower of greenbacks ejected from a passing van rains down on the neighborhood, and the residents distribute the windfall among themselves and take a vow of secrecy. But 30 years later, one of them--now a nun--decides that the money was intended by God only as a loan and must now be repaid with interest, and everybody comes together to try to raise the cash. Many complications follow, most of them silly or sappy, played out in a script that is, by turns, precious and implausible. Surprisingly, a number of industry veterans signed on for this project--among them Shirley Jones, Cloris Leachman, Shelley Duvall, and Frank Gorshin (in one of his last appearances), although this will hardly be considered their most memorable work. Despite the title, this flimsy, over-plotted little comedy is not much of a gift--divine or otherwise. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by the Burton family, 23 deleted and extended scenes (19 min.), a Q&A with the filmmakers (17 min.), a “Traveling the Indy Road” featurette (6 min.), bloopers (2 min.), a photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek)