City Of Angels

The idea of City Of Angels is pure Hollywood and more. It seems that there exist angels, dozens of them, apparently nearly all male. Presumably less females make the job description.

The angels hang around Los Angeles (the city of angels, get it?) in long, dark, great coats apparently waiting for the citizens to die, whence the angels whisk the former L.A. residents off to heaven or to some sort of holding compound, as a sort of ethereal emigration or escort service.

But one of the angels who is called Seth (Nicolas Cage), whilst hanging about in an operating theatre waiting for his next customer, falls in love with Maggie (Meg Ryan),a pretty cardiac surgeon.

She becomes rattled when one of her patients die on her operating table, even if, surely, she's seen that happen dozens of times.

Seth starts hovering around Maggie and must choose whether to abandon the perks of being an angel and take a chance with mortal love.

Maggie on the other hand has been feeling hollow of late. Her feeling of failure when her patient dies leaves her open to the unquestioning love (I'd call it mournfullness) and quiet strangeness of this mysterious man who suddenly appears before her at times.

It's all pretty silly really, but aren't most film romances? You'll either love or hate the Hollywood embellishments in City Of Angels ; Seth and his co-angels all in black with groovy long greatcoats, looking something like a cross between bag men and the Nazi S.S..

The angels congregate theatrically on a local beach at sunrise and sunset to listen to some celestial concert and for some reason love to sit and chat on the top of man made structures, and as you'd expect in America, especially on top of advertising signs. Like many of the overly religious these angels seem to be very fulfilled but also very boring.

And it's a good thing that Seth is invisible because he sure would have been busted for stalking, but that's got a lot to do with Nicolas Cage's screen character. His Seth really did lack charm. He reminded me, dressed all in black and with those big, soulful eyes, of a misplaced, land captured seal, perhaps an Irish Selkie, or perhaps a black Labrador dog. Nicolas Cage's mournful angel was annoying

Nicolas Cage in City Of Angels reminds me of Cary Grant, not because he's as funny, as charming or as scene stealing as Cary Grant, but because I wish that Seth had been played by Cary Grant.

If fact if Seth was any type of angel at all he'd go and get Cary to play his part in the film. But that's probably just another plea for the more intelligent, character driven romantic comedies of yesteryear.

Meg Ryan is as cute as ever, and as I'm sure you'll agree, Meg in City Of Angels does have a great haircut. But it's more likely to be the spiritual side of City Of Angels that will offer its greatest appeal. The rampant materialism we're experiencing on this planet needs a great deal of salving and heaven knows we're all concerned about what might happen to us when we die.

But still, I'd much rather Cary Grant, or perhaps Meg Ryan to be my escort to heaven. My wife would prefer Daniel Day Lewis. What's your choice?