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City of Angels (1998) More at IMDb Pro »

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270 comments in total

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32 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
Very Romantic ... Very Good ..., 20 February 2000
Author: Michiel Waaijer (michiel.waaijer@gmail.com) from Delft, Holland

I thought City Of Angels was very good. I'm usually very critical towards movies, but City Of Angels got to me. Meg Ryan usually plays in Romantic Comedy's (Sleepless in seatle, You've got mail) but this time, City Of Angels, admittedly a Romantic film, but it isn't a comedy. Far from it, it's a drama in all of its aspects. And Meg Ryan converts to that change very well. She acts great in this movie. It wasn't an easy part for her, there is a lot of crying involved, and a lot of dramatic moments in her characters life.

As goes for Nicolas Cage's character. Oh my god, he plays Seth with such excellence. Really, i don't think that anyone else could play the part as great as he did. The way he looks, the way he moves .. so cool.

Ok the storyline is a little unbeleivable, but you musn't be held back by that fact. Just beleive the unbeleivable. Just go with the plot, and follow the movie closely.

I'm not suggesting that City Of Angels is the best in it's sort. It won't win any oscars, but what i am saying, is that it's a nice movie, with great actors, great music and a good storyline which rolls towards very emotional ending.

You won't be dissapointed.

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44 out of 66 people found the following comment useful :-
*soul toucher*, 3 April 2004

Author: sami_almehdi from Stockholm, Sweden

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Good heavens, this is by far the best lovestory I've ever seen. A perfectly carried out movie about this angel (Nicolas) that gives up eternity in Heaven to be with a woman (Meg) on Earth. This movie really touches your soul, so don't go destroy it by watching it with a bunch of friends. As a matter of fact, It made me cry like a baby... City of Angels actually makes you reflect about life/death and you'll know it touches your soul. I've never before been so affected (in a good way though =) by a lovestory, but this one; it's hard to describe you have to see it! // a gracefulness

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26 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
Unbelievably underrated, 15 September 1999

Author: Andrew-162 from Philadelphia, PA

I just watched this movie again for about the 3rd time. People say the movie is depressing, unoriginal, and boring. I'll bend on the depressing part, but the other 2 are completely un-true.

Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan give pretty good performances, nothing oscar-worthy, but it's not the acting that makes this movie great. It's beautiful. Pure heaven to the eyes and ears. While you see the wonderful scenes, and backgrounds, with wonderful color and beautiful art direction, and hear the perefectly performed and selected score in the background (with contributions from U2, Sarah McLachlan, and the surprise hit "Iris" from the Goo Goo Dolls) it doesn't really matter what kind of acting is happening. The screenplay is pretty good, but somewhat lacking, which is why I give it an 8.25 on a scale from 1-10. Its a love story, yes, and can get cheesy at points, but none the less, it's still worth seeing once or twice.

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25 out of 36 people found the following comment useful :-
A sweet film, but..., 16 June 2000

Author: nieuwes1

I expected to love this film, since my favorite actor and actress are in it, and I was not disappointed. Meg Ryan is great as ever as the surgeon with serious issues, and Nic Cage plays an unusual part as the sensitive angel who falls in love with her. Since Nic is an angel and Meg a human, Nic has to become human so he can touch, smell and love her.

The power of this film is the chemistry between Nic and Meg , and the atmosphere created by Brad Silberling. The romance is very sweet and believable, played into perfection by the leads, and the atmosphere of the 'city of angels' is captivating. The only thing else a film like this needs is a suitable ending, which simply wasn't there. The fist hour-and-a-half was mysteriously uplifting, and the ending was downright depressing. It didn't work for me. Still, it is much better and definitely much deeper than your usual romantic drama and it never fails to entertain. Let's hope the DVD has an alternative ending. (8/10)

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17 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
A movie that touches the heart..., 4 April 2006

Author: babeth_jr from United States

I absolutely love this movie. I have seen it several times and it still never ceases to bring me to tears. Nicholas Cage does a wonderful job portraying Seth, an angel who falls in love with a workaholic doctor, convincingly portrayed by Meg Ryan (in a definite departure from her usual kooky, girl next door role). The movie is beautifully photographed, and the love story, although a little far fetched, (angel gives up being an angel to become human to be with the woman he loves) it is still incredibly moving. Without giving away all the best parts of the movie, you had better have plenty of Kleenex on hand...it's definitely a tearjerker. The ending of the movie is a testament to the power of love and life...powerful stuff. This is definitely a "chick flick", but is just wonderful on all levels. I have always believed in angels, but after seeing this film it gave me a different perspective of our guardian angels. A must see!

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23 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
Wonderful., 30 December 2005

Author: bertrand-tan from Singapore

its a truly brilliant movie especially when you pay attention to the soundtrack. the words in the movie are brilliant, especially Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls and and Angel by Sarah Mclachlan. Probably the two most brilliant movie songs that i have heard and they match this movie so fittingly.

on another note, Nicholas cage was a brilliant choice for this role. his eyes and his tone, while not making him sexy in any way, fit him into this role like a glove.

Truly recommend this movie as a brilliant piece of film and a beautiful story.

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16 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
This movie is worth falling for........., 23 December 2005

Author: Sourish Karmakar (sourish123@yahoo.com) from India

This movie is worth falling for ,when u really want to hold the hands of Magi,feel her,touch her and really leave the eternity to just be with her. The theme was so wonderful that u really want to live with the characters and just hope to be one of them, that proves why man is afraid to die ,because he know that he will lose all the sensations for what human being is really crafted by the god, to live in pain leaving the eternity,but to feel love.The characters are excellently played,even the scores following were just letting you feel the theme and live with the characters. I really can't understand the harsh notes of critics and there sharp views but I can feel that this movie is worth falling for, even if you have to loose your eternity.This is my first comment on this site but I feel may be I delayed it only to give my first one to this one only.(24-12-05)

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
A Nice Romance Story, 17 February 2008

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

Overall, this is a nice love story that I enjoyed the first time I saw it but decreasingly so with future viewings. After three, it was enough, but that's two more than I usually watch of Meg Ryan films.

Since it's Hollywood, you know there is going to be misguided theology, in this case the subject is angels and heaven. None of the "sermons" in here are Biblical, believe me. it's really more of a love story than anything else. Plus, it's an interesting story with good visuals.

Nicholas Cage plays a likable guy. There are actually a few good messages about God and angels - mainly that they exist - and another good message being that all of us should appreciate more what we have here on earth, starting with our senses (smell, taste, touch, etc.)

Anyway, if you like a good romance story, you should like this movie.

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Artistic vision and commercial gloss that works., 14 April 2002
Author: Terrence Janes (trjktb@mizzou.edu) from Missouri, United States

I was hesitant to see this movie for the longest time. Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan in a romantic drama would seem to spell a movie filled with forlorn looks and sweet nothings whispered to each other. Upon seeing it, this movie proved my suspicions true.

However, I was astonished at how much more this film had. The sheer amount of interesting concepts, combined with the ability to look at humanity from some distance, made this movie well worth the watch. If this film succeeds, and I believe it does, it is precisely because of the mixture of Hollywood gloss and original Wenders magic. Something for everyone, if only you give it a little thought.

Touching date movie, nice discussion piece, and filled with attractive people, City of Angels is wonderfully shallow and surprisingly deep at times, making it well worth the watch.

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6 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
American Pop Translation of Wenders' Classic Turns Lush Film into Romantic Whimsy, 28 August 2006

Author: Ed Uyeshima from San Francisco, CA, USA

This 1998 romantic drama is as fanciful as fantasy movies come, and John Seale's beautiful cinematography goes a long way toward creating the dream-like quality essential to pull this type of movie off. Director Brad Silberling and screenwriter Dana Stevens have decided to amplify the romantic elements of Win Wenders' wondrous 1987 classic, "Wings of Desire", but stick to the basic plot elements. The transatlantic adaptation is not altogether successful because the greater themes of immortality and human fallibility in the original film have been submerged in favor of more individualized needs like sensuality and love. The thematic change trivializes the film into little more than a piece of romantic whimsy.

Now set in Los Angeles, the plot focuses on an angel named Seth who walks freely among the living and remains unseen unless he so desires. He gets drawn to Maggie Rice, an exacting surgeon who loses her first patient on the operating table. In the middle of her personal crisis, Seth comes into her life filling an emotional void, setting the stage for the pivotal decision he needs to make - remaining immortal as an angel or becoming human to experience the passion he feels for Maggie. Luckily, in probably her best dramatic performance, Meg Ryan is especially resonant as Maggie as she mutes her natural sprite-like manner into a palpable sadness that fits the character.

With a part that risks skirting parody during the first half, a steadily unblinking Nicolas Cage plays Seth in a plaintive, child-like manner until the story moves toward its inevitable climax. I still find it difficult to believe that Seth's discomforting, Norman Bates-like manner would provide such a powerful attraction to Maggie at the outset. I also think the ending plot manipulations are a botch, a contemptible attempt to twist the viewer into thinking a greater point has been made when in fact, the viewer has been sucker-punched. Andre Braugher's becalming manner is used to good effect as fellow angel Cassiel, and Dennis Franz is appropriately ostentatious as a junk-food-addicted hospital patient who is not what he appears to be. By the way, the interiors of the San Francisco Main Library (opened two years before) never looked better than under the guise of LA's in this movie.

There are a surprising number of extras for such an early release DVD (1998) with three separate commentary tracks, the first by Silberling, the second by Stevens and co-producer Charles Roven, and the third by composer Gabriel Yared. Seale and production designer Lilly Kilvert contribute select-scene commentaries on the other side of the disc. There are two featurettes - a half-hour making-of documentary called "Making Angels" and a ten-minute short focused strictly on the visual effects. Seven deleted scenes, two music videos (including the Goo Goo Dolls' then-omnipresent MTV hit, "Iris"), and the theatrical trailer round out the major DVD extras.

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