| Michael | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Nora Ephron |
| Screenplay by | Nora Ephron Delia Ephron Peter Dexter Jim Quinlan |
| Story by | Jim Quinlan Peter Dexter |
| Produced by | Sean Daniel Nora Ephron James Jacks Delia Ephron |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John Lindley |
| Edited by | Geraldine Peroni |
| Music by | Randy Newman |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Portuguese |
| Box office | $119.7 million[1] |
Michael is a 1996 Americanfantasy comedy film directed byNora Ephron. The film starsJohn Travolta as theArchangel Michael, who is sent to Earth to do various tasks, including mending some wounded hearts. The cast also includesJean Stapleton,Andie MacDowell,William Hurt,Bob Hoskins,Joey Lauren Adams, andRobert Pastorelli as people who cross Michael's path.
The original music score was composed byRandy Newman. The dance scene and other location shots were filmed at the community center of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in New Corn Hill, Texas, and on country roads nearWalburg, Texas, as well as at Texas'Gruene Hall.
TheNational Mirror is a tabloid publication that reports primarily on unexplainable phenomena. The editor, Vartan Malt, receives a story tip about a woman living with an angel in her house in a small town in Iowa, and decides to send three staff members to investigate. He chooses Frank Quinlan; Huey Driscoll, a photographer and owner of theMirror star Sparky the Wonder Dog; and Dorothy Winters, hired by Malt to eventually replace Driscoll.
At the boarding house of Pansy Milbank, they meet her tenantMichael. While Michael has wings and smells like cookies, he has an unexpected taste for cigarettes and sugar, seems rather boorish at first, and does not appear clean. When pressed for the type of angel he is, he replies he is anarchangel, with Pansy boasting he triumphed overLucifer in theWar in Heaven.
After Pansy unexpectedly dies, Frank and Huey decide to take Michael to Chicago. Michael reveals that this was his plan from the beginning. During the trip, Michael's mission on Earth is slowly revealed to be 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 theSears Tower (which he has always wanted to see) before disappearing. After Frank and Dorothy go their separate ways, Michael returns one more time (this time with Pansy in tow) and gets Frank and Dorothy back together for good.
Contrary to popular depictions ofangels, Michael is portrayed as a boozing, smoking slob – yet capable of imparting unexpected wisdom.[2]
Professor Christopher R. Miller compared the depiction of angels inMichael toJohn Milton's inParadise Lost. Milton presented angels as "six-winged shapeshifters who patrol the galaxy, leaving a vapor trail of heavenly fragrance in their wake." Miller notes Michael is portrayed as warring on Lucifer with shields resembling "two broad suns," and creditsMichael with referencing this mythology.[3]
Michael received mixed to negative reviews, holding a 36% rating onRotten Tomatoes based on 42 reviews. The site's consensus states: "John Travolta plays an angel in Nora Ephron's maudlinMichael, a grating comedy that doesn't tap into the heavenly charms of her best work."[4]Emanuel Levy wrote inVariety thatMichael is essentially a series of "lethargically paced" episodes with only flimsy connections to an overall narrative. He further criticized that the direction is scattered and uneven and Andie MacDowell is inadequate in her role, though he praised the performances of John Travolta and William Hurt, remarking that Travolta's charm and sex appeal would make some moments enjoyable for female viewers.[5]Owen Gleiberman, reviewing the film forEntertainment Weekly, instead attested that Travolta's performance is one of the film's worst problems, saying it "has a slovenly, I-can-do-anything-and-you'll-still-love-me obnoxiousness." He also felt it reflected poorly on Travolta to play aMessiah figure in two films in one year (the other beingPhenomenon), and gaveMichael a D+.[6]David Ansen ofNewsweek instead judged the film to be a mixed bag, with weak points including a contrived plot and Robert Pastorelli's performance, which nonetheless succeeds as a "low-key charmer" thanks to those moments where the attractive cast are allowed to play off each other, such as the song in praise of pies.[7]
The movie was a box office success. Released on Christmas Day,Michael finished number one at the box office that weekend, grossing $17,435,711 (roughly $3.4 million more than second-placeJerry Maguire, which was in its third week). The total domestic gross was $95,318,203, rankingMichael number 16 for 1996.[8][9][10]