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Michael (1996 film)

Michael
Michael ver2.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Nora Ephron
Produced by Sean Daniel
Nora Ephron
James Jacks
Delia Ephron
Screenplay by Nora Ephron
Delia Ephron
Peter Dexter
Jim Quinlan
Story by Jim Quinlan
Peter Dexter
Starring
Music by Randy Newman
Cinematography John Lindley
Edited by Geraldine Peroni
Production
company
Turner Pictures
Alphaville
Distributed by New Line Cinema
Release date
  • December 25, 1996 (1996-12-25)
Running time
105 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Portuguese
Budget $46 million
Box office $119,718,203

Michael is a 1996 American fantasy film directed by Nora Ephron. The film stars John Travolta as the Archangel Michael, who is sent to Earth to do various tasks, including mending some wounded hearts. The cast includes Andie MacDowell, William Hurt, Bob Hoskins, Joey Lauren Adams and Robert Pastorelli as people who cross Michael's path.

The original music score was composed by Randy Newman. The dance scene and other location shots were filmed at the community center of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Cornhill, Texas, and on country roads near Walburg, Texas, as well as at Texas's Gruene Hall.

Contrary to popular depictions of angels, Michael is portrayed as a boozing, smoking slob – yet capable of imparting unexpected wisdom.

The same year Travolta appeared in another film, Phenomenon, also as a character with supernatural powers who profoundly affects those around him.

Vartan Malt (Bob Hoskins) is the editor of a tabloid called the National Mirror that specializes in unlikely stories about celebrities and frankly unbelievable tales about ordinary folkspersons. When Malt gets word that a woman is supposedly harboring an angel in a small town in Iowa, he figures that this might be up the Mirror's alley, so he sends out three people to get the story – Frank Quinlan (William Hurt), a reporter whose career has hit the skids; Huey Driscoll (Robert Pastorelli), a photographer on the verge of losing his job (even though he owns the Mirror's mascot Sparky the Wonder Dog); and Dorothy Winters (Andie MacDowell), a self-styled "angel expert" (actually a dog trainer hired by Malt to eventually replace Driscoll).

They arrive at the boarding house of Pansy Milbank (Jean Stapleton), who informs them that she does indeed have an angel for a tenant and introduces them to Michael (John Travolta). Michael has wings like an angel, but the resemblance ends there. Michael loves cigarettes, sugar, has an uncontrollable belly laugh, tends to use a large number of non-angelic phrases, does not care much for personal hygiene, and smells like cookies. Michael informs his visitors that an angel is allowed to take a certain number of "vacations" on Earth and that he is in the midst of one now. However, this is the last vacation he is allowed, and he has decided to make the most of it.


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