Michael [1997]

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A whimsical delight and one to watch again
Comment: Far better than this meagre release would indicate. Solid performances from everyone, a clever story with a few twists and it's nice to see an unashamedly feel good movie that manages to end without ladling on the syrup factor.

It has been shown on UK TV by Channel 4 in widescreen, so why the R1 1.33 only vanilla release?

We demand a decent DVD release. I'd replace mine like a shot for a good widescreen transfer with a few insights from cast and crew into the making. Some of the scenes out in the countryside on their car journey just scream out for the open vista of widescreen.

And careful not be a spoiler, but I'd love to know whether the need to have main cast members releasing feathers from their pockets at a crucial moment was down to a last minute idea on set, or whether they thought they'd save on having to have hide a mechanical release mechanism and that we wouldn't notice them doing it? Cos' we did!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Certifiable Gem
Comment: Whether you believe in Angels or not, this film will bring a smile to your face. For those whose visions of Angels are of sweet cherub-like faces and glowing halos, be warned: that understanding of Angels is a long way from this film.

Certainly, this is a very unique film. I've never seen anything quite like it before; and I doubt I ever will. But for movie purists, there's a lot to be seen here. There's a great chemistry between all the leads, and Travolta as the Angel is outstanding. And, like all good comedies, it doesn't try to be funny, because it simply is; and the underlying message of hope leaves a warm feeling inside when the film is finished.

Those with a hyper-cynical complexion may not be so impressed, but this is a fantastic comedy, and comes at a bargain price. Also a great take on the world of journalism, you won't be disappointed.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: This film is an Angel
Comment: A rollercoster ride of laughs, thrills+spills and cheesy jokes from start to finish.
When word goes out that an angel (John Travolta) is living somewhere in the state, crazy news boss Bob Hoskins becomes hell-bent on finding it, so he dispatches three news people to investigate.
What they find is not what they expect. For instance, an angel (or an arcangel, as the old lady he lives with puts it) who smokes, is a sugar addict, he evn puts it on chips, he wants to see attractions, he lands up in jail and more!
Buy this, and spend the rest of your life laughing uncontrollably.

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After the box-office success of Phenomenon, John Travolta continued to charm audiences with this 1996 comedy-fantasy in which he plays a grubby angel who's got one last good deed to do before heading back to heaven. Living peacefully in the rural Iowa home of an old, friendly motel owner (Jean Stapleton), the winged Michael (Travolta) is hardly the image of a perfect angel. He's scruffy, unshaven, eats sweetened cereal by the box-full and chain-smokes all day long. But when tabloid reporters (William Hurt, Robert Pastorelli) learn of Michael's alleged existence and head to Iowa to check him out, Michael soon realises that it's his task to see that Hurt falls in love with an "angel expert" (Andie MacDowell) and breaks free from his habitually cynical attitude. There's more to the story, of course (and Chasing Amy fans will recognise Joey Lauren Adams as a waitress who charms the angel), but Michael is more about the effect that this enchanting angel has on the earthbound humans around him. Whether he's chipping away at Hurt's scepticism or attracting a crowd of women on a truck-stop dance floor, Michael is an enchanting figure, and Travolta plays him with just the right tone of humour, reverence and effervescent charm. Sure, it's lightweight fluff, but director Nora Ephron specialises in lightweight fluff, and Michael is the kind of feel-good movie that never wears out its welcome. --Jeff Shannon