Michael

"He's an angel... Not a saint."

1996 1h 45m EN

😐

5.7

MID

★5.7TMDB · 707

ComedyDramaFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Tabloid reporters are sent by their editor to investigate after the paper recieves a letter from a woman claiming an angel is living with her.

“He's an angel... Not a saint.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

John Travolta
Michael
Andie MacDowell
Dorothy Winters
William Hurt
Frank Quinlan
Bob Hoskins
Vartan Malt
Robert Pastorelli
Huey Driscoll
Jean Stapleton
Pansy Milbank
Teri Garr
Judge Esther Newberg
Wallace Langham
Bruce Craddock

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Nora Ephron
Writers: Jim Quinlan, Peter Dexter, Peter Dexter
Languages: English, Portuguese
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Portuguese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Nora Ephron, shot by John Lindley. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Randy Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Editor Geraldine Peroni shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John Travolta and Andie MacDowell and William Hurt carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He's an angel... Not a saint.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nora Ephron directs. John Lindley behind the camera. Randy Newman scores. Geraldine Peroni cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 6.0× over at the box office.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Portuguese.
4Directed by Nora Ephron, shot by John Lindley. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Randy Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Geraldine Peroni shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7John Travolta and Andie MacDowell and William Hurt carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "He's an angel... Not a saint.".
9IMDB entry: tt0117038 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: John Lindley
Original score: Randy Newman
Editing: Geraldine Peroni
Production design: Dan Davis
Costume design: Elizabeth McBride
Makeup / hair: Leslie Ann Anderson
Stunt coordinator: Charles Croughwell
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $119,700,000
Return: 599% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Michael (1996)

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Nora Ephron

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-10-20
★ 9/10
Testifies to the JOY of living itself Michael, excellently portrayed by John Travolta, is an unorthodox Archangel enjoying his last mission (vacation?) to Earth. A supermarket tabloid from Chicago sends a team to Iowa to get a story and pictures; after discovering that he's a real angel they naturally want to bring him back to the big city. What works best is that the story is essentially a fun-spirited road movie. William Hurt, Andie MacDowell and Robert Pastorelli have an exceptional time meeting Michael and trying to escort him back to Chicago. Michael acts like a tourist having the time of his life, humorously wanting to see those silly little 'attractions' dispersed across the countryside (e.g. "the world's biggest non-stick frying pan," etc.) -- you know, the ones most of us adults roll our eyes at. Lots of fun things and miracles take place along the way. What struck me the most about Michael (the angel) is that he has a genuine spirit of JOY. The simple joy-of-living-itself is all over him; and this has a phenomenal impact on the people around him. It's something most of us could learn from Michael. The film has loads of laughs and, surprisingly, even some profundities. The film runs 105 minutes and was shot in Texas, Iowa and Chicago. GRADE: A
GenerationofSwine2023-01-12
★ 1/10
Andie MacDowell was once the most adorable person in Hollywood wasn't she? And I mean that as it utterly charming. And the same goes for her performance here, she turns up the charm and does her best to sell the role. But, unfortunately, Travolta (fresh from his Pulp Fiction rebirth) is playing his Vincent Vega role in the comedy and is entirely out of place throughout it. Really, if you are a Travolta fan you should just watch Pulp Fiction, it's basically him doing the same thing in a film where it works and feels appropriate. Here, well, here you just have Andie MacDowell attempting to charm the film into a success, while Travolta still thinks he's working with QT.