Immortal Love?
City of Angels Offers an Alternative Love Story

I have a reputation as a guy who likes "guy movies." Movies with big special effects, loud explosions, martial arts, or science fiction storylines are usually able to lure me to the theater during opening weekend. There are moments, however, when a "chick flick" -- and note that I'm using these terms for definitive purposes, not judgmental -- catches my interest. So it happened, I eagerly awaited this weekend's release of the love story, City of Angels.

I have to admit, even the trailer for this movie moved me. I'm not sure if I had been affected most by the haunting imagery, the musical score, or the touching scenes with Meg Ryan (be still my heart!). Regardless, I found myself intrigued enough to ignore my macho sensibilities and go to a theater which would undoubtedly be filled with women weeping by the film's end.

City of Angles is loosely based on a 1988 film, Wings of Desire, which deals with a pair of angels who are invisible witnesses to human life. In this new incarnation, screenwriter Dana Stevens focuses on the love between one angel and a human woman he encounters. While the story seems oversimplified at times, it is genuinely engaging and compelling.

Seth (Nicolas Cage) is a messenger from God, but not the kind of angel Hollywood typically offers. He is not a human who has died, compelled to "earn his wings" by helping others. The angels here are creatures apart from humans who observe humans, guiding them, comforting them, and escorting their souls to heaven in death. Despite their gifts and immortality, however, angels cannot feel what it is to be human. They can hear music in the sunrise, but cannot feel the touch of someone's hand. It is a unusual existence.

When Seth arrives in a hospital operating room to collect a soul, he finds himself captivated by the dedicated surgeon, Maggie Rice (Meg Ryan), who has lost her patient. The moment has moved Maggie, too. In losing her patient, she has begun to ask questions of her role in the world. For the first time, she feels as if something bigger than her controls the fate of her patients. To her boyfriend and fellow heart surgeon she says, "We fight to keep them alive, but have you ever wondered what we're fighting?"

As Seth attempts to bring peace to Maggie's life, he is torn between his life as an observer and a desire to participate in human life. Then he encounters another patient, Nicholas Messenger (Dennis Franz, from television's NYPD Blue). Messenger is a former angel who renounced his immortal existence for the chance to be human. It is a matter of free will, Messenger explains.

City of Angels is compelling, not only in its eerie depiction of the quiet, observing lives the angels live, but in their admiration of humanity. Despite the fact that they can hear a person's thoughts just by standing beside them, they do not judge. With a touch they guide them and keep them from harm. The simplicity of their existence is beautiful. Seth even keeps a journal of the discussions he has with recently departed souls, asking them what they liked most about life. Sadly, he can't share those experiences.

Much of the early part of the film is centered on Seth and seems to consist of repeated soulful glances by Cage. His piercing blue eyes and baleful stares exude the sadness of his existence. By contrast, Maggie's searching is inward, looking for answers to her career, her personal life, and larger questions of philosophy and theology. Both Cage and Ryan perform to the highest standards, bringing their own unique talents to their respective roles. Supporting them are very fine performances by Franz, and Andre Braugher as another angel, Cassiel.

While City of Angels is predictable, the underlying sadness in the movie is sure to tug on the most hardened of heart-strings. Women will melt at the good-looking Cage and his innate ability to say what women want to hear. Fans of Ryan will enjoy seeing her in a dramatic role which still allows her sweetness shine through. I would recommend this movie to any romantics. It'll make a great date movie.

MY RATING: 8 out of 10.

RATED:
RUN TIME: 117 min.

Immortal Love? City of Angels Offers an Alternative Love Story

Immortal Love?
City of Angels Offers an Alternative Love Story