A good deal better than it has any right to be.
Comment
09/18/08
City of Angels (1998)
60
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:57
Fresh:34
Rotten:23
Average Rating:6.3/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Based in part on Wim Wenders's 1988 film, WINGS OF DESIRE, this is the story of Seth (Nicolas Cage), an angel who wanders the Los Angeles area invisible to humans. As someone's death approaches,... [More]
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Meg Ryan, Dennis Franz, Andre Braugher
Director: Brad Silberling
Get This Movie
Reviews for City of Angels
A little too heavy on the melodrama to really succeed as a great love story, this still has good performances from both stars and some heavenly moments.
01/01/00
Una de esas que gustan cada vez más, a medida que se ve y se vuelve a ver.
09/03/01
An unusually resonant romantic drama; as a remake that doesn't insult the original, it's borderline miraculous.
01/01/00
Thick with resonant imagery.
01/01/00
Manages to update [Wings of Desire] so that the freshness and passion still exist within the characters and the story. It is a triumph of conception, camera movements, and emotional feelings.
01/01/00
As a remake it's not as poetic as Wenders' masterpiece Wings of Desire, but it's supremely mounted (by ace lenser John Seale) and contains touching performances from Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan deviating from their respective screen images.
06/01/06
Top CriticSurprisingly well-executed.
01/01/00
Funnier than Wenders' version, and it also succeeds in visualising LA as a magical city while dealing intelligently with the themes of mortality, sacrifice, free will, and the mixed blessings of the human condition.
02/09/06
City of Angels is more romantic than profound, but Dana Stevens' script is thoughtful and intelligent, and I never felt insulted by what the characters say, do, or think.
01/01/00
Top CriticNot a typical Hollywood movie. It is beautifully filmed in lush colors by cinematographer John Seale, whose sweeping aerial shots and golden lighting make Los Angeles into an almost unrecognizable new world.
02/27/01
No review available.
01/01/00
Top CriticAn old-fashioned, big-hearted movie.
01/01/00
Top CriticCity of Angels raises theological questions, albeit in a somewhat pedestrian manner, and makes them an integral part of its otherwise formulaic plot.
12/06/04
A beautiful film in many ways.
02/08/03
I know a movie is good when I totally cease taking notes and then can find no adjectives to jot down. I was enthralled and yet not stupefied.
10/24/01
It manages to leave a pleasant afterglow for those in the mood for its kind of loving.
02/14/01
Top CriticA Hollywood movie about spirituality that touches audiences without insulting their intelligence.
01/01/00
Walking out of the theater, I felt different. The film made me realize how wonderful life could be, how a thing as simple as wind on your face or the taste of a pear had value.
09/10/02
Although City of Angels sometimes dances perilously close to the line between romance and schmaltz, it never crosses it, a nifty maneuver when you consider that the story deals with both love and spirituality, two areas land-mined with cant.
01/01/00
Latest News for City of Angels
September 15, 2005:
Critical Consensus: Critics Thank "Heaven," But Don't Praise The "Lord"
This week at the movies brings us a supernatural romance ("Just Like Heaven"), a jaded arms dealer ("Lord of War") and two experiments in terror... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Best Dozen of the Decade 
Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!
Top 50 of 2009
Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.
Santa's Naughty List
Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
RSS Feeds