"I'm not that kind of angel..."      

MICHAEL (PG) 

Directed by Nora Ephron (of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle fame), Michael is the story of a scruffy angel who comes to Earth for one final blast and with a mission of sparking a romance between two tabloid reporters who are sent to investigate him.  In perhaps his most relaxed and confident screen performance to date, Travolta plays the chain-smoking, sugar-loving Archangel Michael.  William Hurt and Andie MacDowell play the two romance-impaired reporters, and along with a third reporter (Robert Pastorelli) and his dog Sparky, we are taken on an adventurous car trip from Iowa (where the reporters find Michael) to Chicago (where the reporters expect to introduce Michael to the world).

The charm of Michael is in its ability to come up with scenes and mini-situations that in themselves are extremely funny and entertaining.  The reporters' first meeting with Michael, Michael's barroom dance scene, and the "battle" with the bull are just a few moments to remember from this film. Unfortunately, after a while you start to wonder if these "moments" are the film. Following Michael and the tabloid reporters on their journey to Chicago, I couldn't help but wonder just a bit: "is there a point here?"

Well, after seeing the whole movie I'm still not quite sure that there was really a point.  Those of you who pay attention to such things will find many, many plot inconsistencies, and a fair share of questions left unanswered (e.g., if Michael's on his 26th and last trip to Earth, how come he shows up for a 27th?).  The devil's in the details, right?

Those who can ignore the details for a while and allow themselves to ride along merrily with Travolta and gang should have fun with this movie.  Travolta is excellent in this role (and I'm not a fan), and Hurt, MacDowell, and Pastorelli are also solid in their performances.  Sure Michael tends towards the corny, and things sometimes don't make sense...but it's a story about an angel, for heaven's sake!!  Overall, Michael is a funny, entertaining, and generally likeable film that's worth seeing.  

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing, folks!!

jessfrogy@prodigy.net gives this movie  stars: "dont be fooled by the commercials this movie is not funny i repeat not funny. The idea is good but whoever wrote this was boring we rented we had to force ourselves to stay awake" (8/19/99)

tfl9825@montana.com gives this movie  stars: "I liked the movie very much! It has good humour and a remarkable sense of wit. It,s one of those movies that people should think about. It just makes you wonder what is really out there. I just wanted to complament on the exalent movie." (1/10/98)

murrayg@melbpc.org.au gives this movie  stars: "I would have to agree with the original reviewer of this movie. Although it is quite funny, I left the theatre with a sense of 'emptiness' almost. It was as though the whole movie was a leadup to a movie yet to come - like an extremely long first chapter of a book. It was still pretty good and if I think about it now I can figure out objectives in the story and I can remember how funny it was. It is almost a feelgood movie that I'd say is worth seeing on a choice basis, if you like this kind of thing or you like John Travolta (although some scenes may change your view on him) you should probably check it out." (2/3/97)

edmann@sprynet.com gives this movie  stars: "Was I the only one to notice that the boom mic was clearly visible in most every scene in the Chicago office with Bob Hoskins and again in the field.. an open field! Even more amazing was the linen tarp visible over the car as they were driving to Chicago, apparantly used to diffuse harsh lighting, Was no one watching the editor? The crowd was laughing hysterically, and not at the dialogue. Please let me know if anyone else saw these sloppy discrepancies." (1/20/97)