City of Angels (1998)

Directed by Brad Silberling
Written by Dana Stevens, based on the film Wings of Desire, written by Peter Handke & Wim Wenders
Starring Nicholas Cage, Meg Ryan, Dennis Franz, Andre Braugher, Colm Feore

My Advice: Wait and Rent It.

My idea for a tagline for this film: "You will believe that an angel can have a boner."  And another thing, has anyone else noticed that Silberling's film prior to this one was the Casper feature film?  Hmmm.  Okay, down to business.  Anyone who knows me or even pretends to know me knows that Wings of Desire, the film upon which this one was based, is one of my all-time movie faves.  And if you've read my writings in the past, you know that I read the screenplay for it last summer.  I tried to go into this film with an open mind regardless.  It's simply a different film, and as I determined last year, a lesser one.  Cage is adequate as the angel Seth, spending most of the first part of the movie standing around like a puppy dog.  Ryan has moments as the surgeon struggling with her faith but her character is merely a device.  Having fun is Dennis Franz as this film's Peter Falk and the true standout of the crowd is Braugher, who makes a more convincing angel than his buddy, Cage.  And kudos should go out to John Seale for some wonderful cinematography.  However, the bottom line is that this film is a one-note tearjerker firmly rooted in the angel Seth's desire to get it on, despite its attempts to elevate the discussion into "free will" and "true love."  Whereas Wings is something one can watch multiple times and still find new things to explore, this rendition is worth one viewing only--and then you've seen it all.