After his wife Monika gives birth to his second child, Angel goes out to celebrate. Angel’s friend Ray offers him his first hit of crack cocaine and he gets hooked on the drug. With the hesitant support of Monika, Angel decides to deal drugs for a short period to get the family out of debt and afford nice things for them. However, as Angel’s addiction grows, his involvement in dealing increases, with his family taking the toll.
Though critics were divided by the film’s story, with some calling it a "darkly filmed anti-drug public service announcement",[5][6] the performances of Imperioli and Sorvino were praised. Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune commented Imperioli gives "one of the best balanced, most intelligent pieces of acting in any American film this year."[7]
Roger Ebert gave a positive review and wrote, "In Sweet Nothing [Imperioli] shows a new maturity and command in his acting, maybe because he is given a key role that runs all the way through. He doesn't fall for the actor's temptation of making too many emotional choices; he understands that many of Angel's problems are very simple: He wants to use more drugs than he can afford. For Mira Sorvino, this is a new kind of role, and she is very good in it, as a woman who wants to hold her marriage and family together, who is willing to give her husband the benefit of the doubt, who believes more than she should, stays longer than she should, and finally finds the strength to act for herself."[8]
^Grant, Edmond (1997). The Motion Picture Guide: 1997 Annual (The Films of 1996). R.R. Bowker. p. 367. ISBN978-0933997394. Without reaching one way or the other, director Gary Winick skillfully draws the viewer into Angel's world: as the character's addiction worsens, ... (Sweet Nothing was filmed prior to her Oscar-winning role in 1995's Mighty Aphrodite.
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