Themes: Fish Out of Water, Angels, Members of the Press
Main Cast: John Travolta, Andie MacDowell, William Hurt, Bob Hoskins, Robert Pastorelli
Release Year: 1996
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
There are angels among us, and they like lots of sugar in their coffee, in writer-director Nora Ephron's comic fantasy Michael. Vartan Malt (Bob Hoskins) is the editor of a tabloid called the National Mirror that specializes in unlikely stories about celebrities and frankly unbelievable tales about ordinary folks. When Malt gets word that a woman is supposedly harboring an angel in a small town in Iowa, he figures that this might be right up the Mirror's alley, so he sends out three people to get the story -- Frank Quinlan (William Hurt), a reporter whose career has hit the skids; Huey Discoll (Robert Pastorelli), a photographer on the verge of losing his job (even though he owns the Mirror's mascot, Sparky The Wonder Dog); and Dorothy Winters (Andie MacDowell), a self-styled "angel expert." They arrive at the rooming house of Patsy Millband (Jean Stapleton), who informs them that she does indeed have an angel for a tenant, and introduces them to Michael (John Travolta). Michael has wings like an angel, but the resemblance ends there; Michael loves cigarettes, has an uncontrollable sweet tooth (and a pot belly to match), tends to use a large number of non-angelic phrases, is not much on personal hygiene, and likes to hang out with the ladies. Michael informs his visitors that in Heaven, an angel is allowed a certain number of "vacations" on Earth, and he's in the midst of one now; trouble is, this is the last one he's entitled to, and he wants to make the most of it. Frank and Huey then stumble on a great story idea -- if Michael wants to have some fun, why not take him to Chicago, where he can really kick up his heels? Michael was written in part by Jim Quinlan, himself a one-time reporter, though with a much more respectable tabloid than the Mirror -- he wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Jean Stapleton - Pansy Milbank; Teri Garr - Judge Esther Newberg; Blue Deckert - Joe; David Harrod - Mal; Tom Hodges - groom; John Hussey - minister; Wallace Langham - Bruce Craddock; Donald J. Lee, Jr. - court bailiff; Peyton Park - old geezer; Richard Schiff - Italian Waiter; Tracy A. Doyle - reporter; Joey Lauren Adams - Anita; Jane Lanier - Suzanne; Joann Fregalette Jansen - Tammy; Calvin Trillin - sheriff; Catherine Lloyd Burns - Evie; Mark Nutter - counterman; Dianne Dreyer - Jennifer; Margaret Travolta - Reporter; Carla Cugino - bride; David Bernstein - reporter; Betsy Sokolow - reporter; Deborah Nunez - woman; Dell Aldrich - woman; Kay Colvin - woman; James Garrell - old geezer; Tim Harrison - slacker; Daniel Mimura - slacker
Credit
James Tocci - Art Director, Carl Sprague - Art Director, Michael Scheffe - Art Director, Donald J. Lee, Jr. - Associate Producer, Alan B. Curtiss - Associate Producer, Mary Goldberg - Casting, Jo Edna Boldin - Casting, Joann Fregalette Jansen - Choreography, Randy Newman - Conductor, G. Mac Brown - Co-producer, Elizabeth McBride - Costume Designer, Alan B. Curtiss - First Assistant Director, Robert Huberman - First Assistant Director, David Bernstein - First Assistant Director, Nora Ephron - Director, Christopher Woods - Second Unit Director, Geraldine Peroni - Editor, Jonathan D. Krane - Executive Producer, Delia Ephron - Executive Producer, Debbie Denise - Executive Producer, Ralph Horan - Executive Producer, Randy Newman - Composer (Music Score), Nick Meyers - Musical Direction/Supervision, Randy Newman - Songwriter, Martin Schaer - Camera Operator, Lawrence Karman - Camera Operator, Daniel Davis - Production Designer, John Lindley - Cinematographer, Sean Daniel - Producer, Nora Ephron - Producer, James Jacks - Producer, Geoffrey Lucius Patterson - Production Sound, Lauren Polizzi - Set Designer, Adele Plauche - Set Designer, Sony Pictures Imageworks - Special Effects, Colin Campbell - Sound/Sound Designer, Warren Shaw - Sound Editor, Dan Korintus - Sound Editor, Charlie Croughwell - Stunts Coordinator, Donald J. Lee, Jr. - Unit Production Manager, Pete Dexter - Screen Story, Jim Quinlan - Screen Story, Nora Ephron - Screenwriter, Delia Ephron - Screenwriter, Pete Dexter - Screenwriter, Jim Quinlan - Screenwriter, Momentum Films - Second Unit Director Of Photography, Ken Ralston - Visual Effects Supervisor, Stephen Rosenbaum - Visual Effects Supervisor, John McGee - Additional Music, Paul Calabria - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, James Dew - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Alec Gillis - Animatronic Effects, Tom Woodruff, Jr. - Animatronic Effects, Amalgamated Dynamics - Animatronic Effects, Rick Cedillo - Animatronic Effects, Camilla Henheman - Animatronic Effects, Christine Papalexis - Animatronic Effects, David Penikas - Animatronic Effects, Bob Badami - Music Editor, Nick Meyers - Music Editor, Fela Ife Small - Post Production Coordinator, Jenny Campbell - Production Coordinator, Lee Dichter - Re-Recording Mixer, Dianne Dreyer - Script Supervisor, David M. Blitstein - Special Effects Coordinator, David Crone - Steadicam Operator, Michael Kirchberger - Supervising Sound Editor, Mickey McGovern - Visual Effects Producer, Richard P. Cirincione - Dialogue Editor, Laura Civiello - Dialogue Editor, Antonio Martinez - Dialogue Editor, Brian Vancho - Foley Artist, Nancy Carbrera - Foley Artist, William Sweeney - Foley Editor, Stuart Stanley - Foley Editor, Steven Visscher - Foley Editor, Leslie Ann Anderson - Key Hairstylist, Deborah Larsen - Key Make-up, Robert Topol - Scenic Artist, Brick Mason - Storyboard Artist, Inc Cineric - Visual Effects, Janos Pilenyi - Visual Effects, Tracy A. Doyle - Set Decorator, David Kramer - ADR Loop Group, Jane McCulley - ADR Supervisor, Jac Rubenstein - Foley Supervisor, Randy Moore - Special Effects Foreman, Randy Cabral - Special Effects Foreman, Yvonne Sturm - Special Effects Foreman, Jody Rogers - Visual Effects Editor, Walter Bernard - Title Design, Milton Glaser - Title Design, M. Scott McKee - Lead Compositor, Dan Brodzik - Painter, Shannon Shea - Puppeteer, Yancy Calzada - Puppeteer
The original music score was composed by Randy Newman. The dance scene and other location shots were filmed at the community center of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Cornhill, Texas and on country roads near Walburg, Texas, as well as at Texas's Gruene Hall.
Contrary to popular depictions of angels, Michael is portrayed as a boozing, smoking, oversexed slob—yet capable of imparting unexpected wisdom. The character has several parallels with the unkempt, possibly deranged angel Michael in two BBC plays by Dennis Potter, Angels Are So Few (1970) and Only Make Believe (1973).
Vartan Malt is the editor of a tabloid called the National Mirror that specializes in unlikely stories about celebrities and frankly unbelievable tales about ordinary folks. When Malt gets word that a woman is supposedly harboring an angel in a small town in Iowa, he figures that this might be up the Mirror's alley, so he sends out three people to get the story — Frank Quinlan, a reporter whose career has hit the skids; Huey Discoll, a photographer on the verge of losing his job (even though he owns the Mirror's mascot Sparky the Wonder Dog); and Dorothy Winters, a self-styled "angel expert" (actually a dog trainer hired by Malt to eventually replace Discoll) .
They arrive at the rooming house of Pansy Milbank, who informs them that she does indeed have an angel for a tenant, and introduces them to Michael. Michael has wings like an angel, but the resemblance ends there; Michael loves cigarettes, has an uncontrollable sweet tooth (and a pot belly to match), tends to use a large number of non-angelic phrases, is not much on personal hygiene, and likes to hang out with the ladies. Michael informs his visitors that an angel is allowed to take a certain number of "vacations" on Earth, and he's in the midst of one now; trouble is, this is the last one he's entitled to, and he wants to make the most of it.
After Pansy unexpectedly dies, Frank and Huey stumble upon a great story idea — if Michael wants to have some fun, why not take him to Chicago, where he can really kick up his heels? Michael reveals that this was his idea from the beginning. The rest of the film is the experiences that Frank, Huey, Dorothy, Sparky and Michael have while driving to Chicago (Michael refuses to fly). During the trip it is slowly revealed that Michael is an angel whose mission on Earth is to get Frank and Dorothy together despite both having had bad experiences with love.
After Sparky is hit by a truck and killed, Michael brings him back to life. In the process he uses up his allotment of miracles and begins to weaken. The group reaches Chicago just in time for Michael to see the Sears Tower (which he has always wanted to see) and disappear. After Frank and Dorothy go their separate ways, Michael returns one more time (this time with Pansy in tow) and successfully get Frank and Dorothy back together for good.
