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Michael Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 19 Reviews)

Michael, a man' type of angel
OK. So it wasn't a stunningly brilliant movie, but it was funny and hooks you.

John Travolta dons the Michael, Archangel garb and wears it the whole movie. Travolta doesn't seem to mind looking worn and out of shape nor does he act like we would expect an angel to act. But that's all right because it creates more humor down the road. William Hurt, Andie MacDowell, and Robert Pastorelli are, at first bemused as the scandal-rag reporters in tow with him then they are startled to find themselves believing that he might be who he claims to be. This causes them to re-think how they feel about each other.

Their trip together back to Chicago doesn't goes as easy as they thought, but Michael seems to have no problem with their diversions. Whatever trouble he gets them into seems expected by him and over with soon enough.

The real story is what does he have planned for the rest of the group. Pretty much formulaic, Nora Ephron directs with a sly touch and delivers a wonderful movie to pass the time with. Though the roles seem small Jean Stapleton and Bob Hoskins have a great time fleshing their characters out and playing them with relish.

Nora Ephron's Pinnacle! Deluxe style!
Is John Travolta the devil? I think we'd all agree to that. But certainly one rung below him has to be Nora Ephron. This film will take you places you've never had any desire to go. A plot that's thinner than Lara Flynn Boyle and a slew of self-referential and smug performances will make you shake your head in bewilderment and sadness.

How long did it take to write this screenplay? 30 minutes? And I bet it took 10 minutes to come up with the inspired title. If I'm ever lucky enough to meet Ms. Ephron I'm going to ask her to never write or direct again. Because like when you go camping, you should leave the area as good as it was or even a little better ... and Ms. Ephron has left the world a little worse off because of her films.

And for all of you who want this in widescreen ... are you sadists? If I ever have to watch this train wreck of a movie again I hope it's on a screen on the tip of a needle.

Definitely LIGHT entertainment...
I just saw this film for the first time last weekend, and I'm surprised at the strength of the reviews here - for some reason, it just didn't gel for me. It's not a bad movie, but given the strength of the cast, I expected more. I don't think it's the actors' fault, though - they all gave perfectly solid performances. I'm not sure whether it was the writing, directing, editing, or some combination of the three, but too much of this story just didn't ring true, comical premises notwithstanding.

Maybe it's unfair, but while watching this film I found myself constantly comparing it to earlier movies that handled similar themes much better, whether comically ("Oh, God!"; "Heaven Can Wait") or otherwise (Kieslowski's Three Colors trilogy, particularly its final chapter, "Red"; "Pulp Fiction"). And yes, you read that last one right - I found the epiphany at the end of "Pulp Fiction" far more convincing than the conclusion of "Michael".

Indeed, it was Travolta's performance in "Pulp Fiction" that piqued my interest in this film. But the role here is just not that demanding - it's easier making the Archangel Michael human than it is making hit man Vincent Vega sympathetic. Travolta certainly delivered in both cases, but there was more chemistry in his 30 seconds of screen time with Bruce Willis than there was in an hour between the entire cast of this movie. But again, I don't think that's the cast's fault. Whatever scenes might have established that chemistry ended up on the cutting-room floor, if they were ever written in the first place.

So for what it's worth, I'll summarize with a very general, but hopefully useful, comparison: "Pulp Fiction" was better than I expected; "Michael" was worse. "Michael" is perfectly harmless fun for a not-too-fundamentalist PG-13 crowd stuck indoors on a rainy day, but see "Pulp Fiction" for Travolta's best work. See "Oh, God!" or "Heaven Can Wait" for better spiritual comedies. "Red" is a better destiny film, and "Thelma & Louise" is a better road film. And the last four certainly qualify as "chick flicks" in my book...

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