Michael Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
He's an angel... Not a saint.
Frank Quinlan and Huey Driscoll, two reporters from a Chicago-based tabloid, along with Dorothy Winters, an 'angel expert', are asked to travel to rural Iowa to investigate a claim from an old woman that she shares her house with a real, live archangel named Michael. Upon arrival, they see that her claims are true - but Michael is not what they expected: he smokes, drinks beer, has a very active libido and has a rather colourful vocabulary. In fact, they would never believe it were it not for the two feathery wings protruding from his back. Michael agrees to travel to Chicago with the threesome, but what they don't realise is that the journey they are about to undertake will change their lives forever.
| Bob Hoskins | Vartan Malt |
| William Hurt | Frank Quinlan |
| Andie MacDowell | Dorothy Winters |
| John Travolta | Michael |
| Robert Pastorelli | Huey Driscoll |
| Jean Stapleton | Pansy Milbank |
| Teri Garr | Judge Esther Newberg |
| Wallace Langham | Bruce Craddock |
| Joey Lauren Adams | Anita, Brown's Waitress |
| Carla Gugino | Bride |
| Tom Hodges | Groom |
| Catherine Lloyd Burns | Evie |
| Richard Schiff | Italian Waiter |
| Calvin Trillin | Sheriff |
| Donald J. Lee Jr. | Court Bailiff |
| Nora Ephron |
5.40 out of 10 (11626 votes)
Visitor Reviews
#5 on my top ten worst film list
posted on 24 Aug 2009My website (theflickguy.org) lists "Michael" as one of the worst films of the modern era. The following is an excerpt: "Everyone slums some time in their lives, this was Travolta's turn. I still don't know what the point of this terrible film was. Nora Efron has proved to be a competent writer and director, so what the hell happened here? The Archangel Michael takes a new spin here and is portrayed as a ham-fisted, chain-smoking sugar addicted fornicating slob whose biggest contribution to humanity (after sending Lucifer to hell) was that he invented "standing in line". Yes, how funny and charming. I don't find this offensive, I find it stupid. In its defense, I can say that the ending was ever bit unsatisfying as the rest of this painful attempt at story telling."
Corny, but fun
posted on 28 Jun 2009That pretty much sums it up ... corny. MacDowell's inability to act is at times painful, and Hurt must need money to take such muted roles, but I still enjoyed it.Why? In a single word, Travolta. He is GREAT in this movie. Still, I can't give the movie too high a score, but it certainly deserves better than it seems to be getting.
Sometimes a movie is just meant to be enjoyed!
posted on 19 Jun 2009This is one of my favorite "Capra-esque" comedies. This movie is just meant to be enjoyed, not deconstructed, microscopically analyzed. It's not religious commentary. It's fun. It's fantasy. The surprisingly negative comments (IMHO) reflect a level of expectation that professional film critics have led us to think must be a part of every movie.Others have described Travolta's role (it's the reason you'll watch the movie over and over) and the excellent supporting cast (including Sparky!).Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar; sometimes a movie is just fun.Enjoy!
What an angel brought---love
posted on 14 Apr 2009Chicago reporter Frank Quinlan decided to go to Iowa to confirm the existence of a so-called angel. He was not alone. His partner Huey Driscoll and new colleague Dorothy Winters also joined him. When they arrived at the destination, they found that the angel Michael was quite different from what they expected. However Frank still persuaded Michael to go to Chicago with them. So an interesting journey began.Although Michael did not look like a saint, he was a kind and funny angel. In fact Michael owned irresistible charming for women. Even due to jealousy of other men, he was involved in a riot. The climax appeared in the pizza restaurant. Dorothy sang lively country songs for Frank. That was just what Michael wanted to see. But the next day Huey 's dog was crashed to death by a running car. Michael was asked to save it. That would be used to verify whether he was a real angel.Andie Macdowell shined in this comedy. She also showed her singing ability. John Travolta proved his comedian talent again. Of cause Pulp Fiction still was his typical work.A comedy that will warm your heart. 8/10
I Want to Dance
posted on 21 Dec 2008While this film provides some cockeyed entertainment, mainly from John Travolta's portrayal of a less-than-traditional angel, it is a pretty weak entry. The best part of the movie is the beginning when the sleazy tabloid reporters hunt down their lead. The first view of Michael is pretty startling. After this, it becomes an episodic ride through America, asking the question, "What would an angel do in this situation." I found the relationships vacuous and uninteresting and the conclusion couldn't be more predictable. And, of course, it's another chance for Travolta to dance.
"Michael" ... the most human angel
posted on 06 Dec 2008John Travolta was excellent as "Michael" in the movie by the same name. I don't think a better portrayal could have been done. The movie was funny, yet touching. Michael is a very "human angel" (If their is such). Andie MacDowell is superb in her role as a reporter, as she goes from disbelief to belief. Bill Hurt and Robert Pastorelli are great as fellow reporters, each bent on proving the hoax of the angel on earth. Each of the supporting cast is wonderful, especially the older woman (I do not know her screen name), who plays Michael's mother! One of the cutest movies I have seen in years... I could watch this movie dozens of times!
Lovely!
posted on 30 Nov 2008Though this film doesn't stand out particularly from the movie crowd, its still a very nice film to sit down and watch with your feet up! There maybe the odd one or two mistakes you catch, and the cinematic are a little slipshod, the film itself is very enjoyable and has a wonderful atmosphere to it. The music contributes a lot to the mood of the movie.The acting is none the less impressive (especially the dog he he!) with John Travolta taking the lead of the fun-troublesome-loving Michael. Other characters feel very genuine and perform very well within the film.So after a long day at work, stick "Michael" on in the evening with some ice-cream and enjoy a very quality film in its own right :)
John Travolta will 'ruffle your feathers'…
posted on 09 Nov 2008…in this, yet again, Nora Ephron pleaser. How can you not sniggle, laugh, guffaw and even cheer for a love-handled, smoking, suger-eating, beer-drinking, bull-charging, bar-dancing Archangel who sloops cereal and pie with his whole left-hand wrapped around a spoon-handle while outfitted in Vinnie Barbarino's middle-aged body with wings? It's one of the most ludicrous, classic, side-splitting images available on the silver screen. And if you don't 'get' that image, here's a quarter --- go buy yourself a life.I found the supporting cast, well -- well-cast. Hurt, MacDowell, Pastorelli, Hoskins, Stapleton et al played the characters they were given to a 'T." And despite Travolta stealing the show, those characters are quintessential to the storyline – you'll see. Though this is a simple feel-good story (nothing complicated to follow, just out of the ordinary) with laughs, sniffles and a touch of heart, you can't get out of this without some introspection into your own life. Maybe that's why the IMDb nay-sayers of this film have such a problem with it (you poor, sad people).Please – do yourself a favor, ignore the 'lifeless' and treat yourself to something GOOD. Lord knows, we can't get enough of that…
Michael was only great because of Ttravolta and Jean
posted on 25 Sep 2008The acting sucked except for John Travolta and Jean Stapleton!! I loved Van Morrison's song at the end, other than that this movie SUCKED!!!!!Watch it for yourselves but it SUCKED !!!The wings were nice, but everything else SUCKED!!! !!! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !!!! !So Watch For Yourselves and judge for yourselves.I don't think that I will ever watch Andie McDowall again Her acting sucks!!!I have never liked watching her acting She sucksI am a big fan of angels and all just not Andie Mcdowall
Just Loving Travolta in this Movie...
posted on 29 Mar 20081996's MICHAEL is warm and winning comedy-fantasy that features one of my favorite performances from the John Travolta library. Travolta gives one of his breeziest and most likable performances as Michael, an archangel whose quiet existence at the home of a lonely innkeeper named Pansy (Jean Stapleton) is disrupted when Pansy reports Michael's presence in her home to a "National Enquirer"-like newspaper and the editor (Bob Hoskins) sends reporters (William Hurt, Andie McDowell, Robert Pastorelli) to the motel to check it out. Hurt, McDowell, and Pastorelli are quite good as the jaded news staffers who have a hard time accepting they've met an angel but this is Travolta's show and he rules as the pot-bellied, sugar-eating, cookie-smelling, pie-loving, Aretha-loving, bull-chasing Michael, an angel who just isn't what you think you of when you think of angels. And you have to love the scene in the bar when he and the ladies dance to "Chain of Fools". I love this movie more and more every time I watch it and it's mainly because of the completely winning performance from John Travolta.
vaguely amusing but disappointing film
posted on 03 Dec 2007This fairytale of an unconventional angel who plays Cupid, can be conveniently split into two halves. The first is equally dull, cliched and insipid, despite a reasonable performance by the legendary Jon Travolta. The script is undeveloped, uninspired and largely predictable. The film is shot adequately, which can be correctly translated as blandly, and no pretentious attempt is made to create an ethereal or surreal setting. This is a story about an angel on earth. Middle America at its bleakest just isn't stimulating enough on the eye, especially when dealing with this topic. However, do not be disheartened. 'Michael' does pick up speed during the second half, becoming increasingly entertaining and ultimately leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of your tummy. John Travolta succeeds in charming his audience as the unlikely, womanising winged creature, creating a strange hybrid of New Age Man and Lovable Rogue. He mellows the slightly tacky, but almost inevitable sentimentality provided by a canine colleague and Andie MacDowell warbling country songs, so that the film remains suitably saccharine without sending you in for a root canal. The ending however, is pure, gorgeous Hollywood at its sugariest and should have the majority of hardened cynics smiling inwardly. One to rent if you're broke and there is nothing on television. Alternatively, you could pick up a book - your imagination is hopefully slightly more inventive than this movie.
Good cast in really bad movie
posted on 24 Nov 2007Movie about a "different sort" of angel (who among other things parties) is in bad taste as well as unbelievable to begin with; poor script puts final nails in the coffin. As in Broken Arrow, Travolta makes the most of a hopeless situation. But the rest of the cast, including some good actors, can't rise above the material. If it weren't so bad it would be offensive, as it is it's just plain bad.
Pretty amazing
posted on 28 Oct 2007I think this movie is excellent, and unique for one thing especially: The character Michael and the way Travolta plays him. The director chose him because he was the only actor she could think of who could be both innocent and powerful.And he does that in spades. I think the character of Michael is very unique, and one we
could learn a lot from. He is damn charming, and has a wonderful attitude to life. Besides that, the film is really funny often.
The WORST John Travolta Movie!!
posted on 16 Sep 2007I can't say enough how goofy Travolta's character was. The Saturday Night Fever man failed to deliver any goods whatsoever. I mean, come on! He was an angel? I don't care how many ways you slice it, he was no angel! He was a stoned version of what he THOUGHT should have been an angel. I didn't like any aspects of this movie. I kept thinking that John would eventually say something intelligent and NOT like he was in the middle of being stoned.
Did you notice how he talked like a stoner? Also, the beautiful Andie McDowell was miscast as the partner of William Hurt. It HURT me to watch the banter between those two. I admit, it was commendable for Andie to keep the Texas accent but that was about it. There was nothing mystical about this movie. It was simply something that a stoner would enjoy because from a stoner's perspective, John Travolta would have been quite entertaining.
Sorry John, but you lost me on this one. Two thumbs down.
9 out of 10: best Comedy-Drama ever
posted on 09 Jul 2007This movie was excellent. The cast was well selected and John Travolta was great, playing the fun loving arch-angel Michael, who simply wanted to enjoy the simple things in life (whether it be eating cereal with about 2 cups of sugar or going to see the "Worlds largest ball of twine") before he returns to heaven.William Hurt played a very good non-caring businessman and Andie MacDowell was great, playing a Dog Trainer who pretends to be an expert on angels. All the actors did well with their roles, and this is my favorite performance by John Travolta.The movie had plenty of room for some drama acting, and the comedy never seemed to interfere with the drama. The music, although not my favorite, still fit the movie well, and I would have easily given this movie a 10 straight up if it were not for some sex jokes (which I don't care for) and that the poor old lady from the hotel died, that was completely uncalled for.Over all, this is an excellent movie that I suggest to everyone who likes a few laughs.
Michael is heavenly fun
posted on 16 May 2007Angels are pure and flawless, right? Not in the portrayal of John Travolta's Michael. This angel drinks, smokes and has sex with many women who can't seem to resist his smell. I know that many of you find this offensive, since angels are supposed to be messengers from God. But lighten up. In this feel good movie, which doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, Mr. Travolta does a fine job of showing us that angels are only human!A love story mixed with fantasy never looked so good since Splash.
charming, quirky, offbeat, light, fun ... do not take too seriously
posted on 07 May 2007Possibly the best John Travolta role ever. Saturday Night Fever was a great movie & role, but a LONG time ago. I can't think of many of his movies or roles I've even liked, and it's easy to think of rotten ones. He can do meanies like in Pulp Fiction, but he makes the perfect funky angel, and it's hard to imagine anyone doing a better (equally slobby) job with it. Plot summaries are available everywhere, but the plot isn't the point. Just go for the ride and enjoy the cleverness of the little funnies along the way. There is nothing to dislike about this movie, unless one is searching for something profound. I wish there were more movies like this. We need a break from deep or awesome or grisly or complex or hysterical.
He's Not "That Kind" Of Angel
posted on 02 Mar 2007Director Nora Ephron, whose forte is romantic comedy, takes a slightly different tack with this comedy/drama, which is certainly romantic, but with a bit of a twist; because this one relies somewhat on divine intervention as the means by which some people who have seemingly lost their way are finally steered in the right direction. Or `a' direction, at least; for when it comes to life and love, who really knows? And the real question is, does it make a difference if you believe in angels? A possible answer lies in Ephron's entertaining and ultimately touching film, `Michael,' in which she asks you to be a believer; and if you can, it'll loose the magic upon the screen and you'll be treated to a satisfying cinematic experience, courtesy of Ephron's insights into human nature and a guy who just may or may not be one of those most ecclesiastical of creatures, an angel. When Frank Quinlan (William Hurt), a reporter for a national tabloid based in Chicago, gets a letter from a woman in Iowa named Pansy Milbank (Jean Stapleton), who claims that an angel has been living with her for the past six months, Frank's editor, Vartan Malt (Bob Hoskins), dispatches him forthwith to the woman's residence, the Milk Bottle Inn (which she owns), to check it out. Accompanying him is fellow reporter Huey Driscoll (Robert Pastorelli), and a newcomer to the team, Dorothy Winters (Andie MacDowell), who is supposedly an `expert' on angels. What they expect to find when they get there is anybody's guess, but if it's someone with a halo and the proverbial `inner light,' they are about to be sorely disappointed; because when they finally meet Michael (John Travolta, complete with wings-- but are they real?), he's, well, as Michael tells them right off, himself, `I'm not that kind of angel--' And for Frank, Dorothy and Huey, it's the beginning of a journey of sorts, as they endeavor to take Michael back to Chicago with them, hoping to learn all they can about him along the way. But, more importantly, learning some things about themselves-- and each other-- at the same time. By due process and by citing previous works of excellence-- like `Sleepless In Seattle' and `You've Got Mail'-- Ephron can stake a claim to the territorial rights of Matters-of-the-Heart stories and win, hands down. Wry and subtle observations on love and relationships are her trademark; she knows how to make her characters and situations credible, and moreover, how to present it all in such a way that it makes a real connection with her audience. She makes it look easy, but make no mistake, there's a fine art to what she does. The fact that she can not only entertain, but touch her audiences in film after film, clearly demonstrates that she's got what it takes to create and deliver a movie with some real substance, coated as it may be with some light-hearted sentiment (just call it the icing on the cake, if you will). And a big part of her success comes from knowing what makes her characters tick, and making them people with whom the audience can identify and relate. Even when the story is a little bit quirky and just slightly off-center, as is the case with this film. John Travolta as an angel? Well, make that an `Arch'angel, and not just any old Archangel; this is Michael, the very same angel who fought Beelzebub and cast him (so he claims) from Heaven. And, as embodied by Travolta, this is Michael, the warrior, who exists to do battle with any enemy and put matters to right-- and Travolta makes it work by creating an `angel' like none you've ever seen before. His Michael is rather unkempt and slovenly, he smokes and has a penchant for sugar. He also likes to laugh and dance, and he appreciates the wonders and the beauty of the earth. Whoever he is, there's a depth of humanity there, which Travolta manages to bring to the fore of what turns out to be a rather complex and challenging character.
It's a solid performance by the charismatic Travolta, who makes Michael a truly memorable character, and in turn, a memorable film. Hurt does a good job, as well, as the jaded Frank Quinlan, a guy obviously looking for something, but unaware of what it is, or even that he is, in fact, searching. Hurt successfully captures the laconic essence at the heart of his character, but tempers him with just enough spirit to keep him interesting, and a person who, though not necessarily likable, is one you come to feel is at least salvageable as a human being. In the end, he actually becomes someone you can root for, though initially Frank is rather off-putting. The important thing is, Hurt presents Frank in a way that touches a nerve, and it demonstrates that connection Ephron makes with the audience through her characters. MacDowell gives a strong performance, too, though rather retiring and less than spirited; but then again, that's who her character is, and she plays it quite well. Dorothy, like Frank, is a person at a crossroads; the difference is, she's lost and she knows it-- and it gives her an endearing quality that gains the sympathy of the audience, and makes her someone for whom you want to see things work out. The supporting cast includes Teri Garr (Judge Newberg), Joey Lauren Adams (Anita), Carla Gugino (Bride), Tom Hodges (Groom) and Wallace Langham (Bruce). In the end, whether or not this film makes you believe in angels is a moot point, because `Michael' is an engaging film that reaffirms the indomitability of the human spirit. And, if not angels, that is something everyone can believe in, or at least hope for. It's Nora Ephron's way of saying that this old world is going to be around for awhile. And it's good.
It is, in fact, the magic of the movies. I rate this one 8/10.
One of the worst movies ever made.
posted on 24 Aug 2009I wanted to like this movie, but there is very little to like about it. It starts out with Jean Stapleton and a Randy Newman song in Iowa (Northwest Iowa, I guess), reminiscent of Norman Lear's Cold Turkey, which was one of the best movies ever made, according to people on IMDb. So far, so good. And the idea of the archangel Michael living at Pansy Milbank's motel on earth? Well, give it a chance, it's supposed to be a comedy. Okay, so far, so good. But Michael does things that an angel not fallen would never do, and that completely blows any credibility the movie might have had. The other characters in the movie don't have much appeal, either. Michael brings a dog back to life, and we're supposed to be in awe of that. The people make up corny country songs. In the end, Stapleton dances with Travolta. Big deal. If she was smart, she wouldn't even be in this movie. When it was over, I thought, "Gee, what a stupid, tasteless, boring, corny, sacrilegious movie!" It's not fit to be seen by children or anyone else.