City of Angels

B- Directed by Brad Silberling Running Time: 1:54

The reason I like to go to movies on Friday afternoons, is because by the time the weekend is over, there's a lot of buzz in the air. I didn't see City of Angels until the end of its second weekend, and by then I had heard about how beautiful it was, and how much of a tear-jerker it was, and of course it lead the box office two weekends in a row. So when I went to see it, I went in with a lot of expectations. Not all of them were met.

Meg Ryan stars as Maggie, a cardiac surgeon who loses a patient on the operating table, and can't stop blaming herself for what happened. Nicolas Cage is Seth, an angel sent to take the patient to the other side, and when he sees Maggie, he immediately falls in love with her. The first problem I had is Maggie falling apart when she loses her patient. My father is a cardiac surgeon, and I have a feeling that if you get that emotional over losing a patient, you're not cut out to do surgery, because things like that happen. But I continue...

Angels, as it turns out, are everywhere. Right now, in your room (or office, or whatever) as you read this, there is an angel looking over your shoulder. Kind of a scary thought, but at the same time a somewhat comforting thought as well. But you can't see them, unless they want to be seen, or unless you're a child. Seth makes himself known to Maggie, but doesn't tell her he's an angel. She falls for him just as hard as he's fallen for her. They want to be together, and there is one way, but it would cost Seth his proverbial wings.

The biggest problem with the movie is that it's overly predictable. You knew from the very beginning what was going to happen, and if you thought about it, you knew how it was going to end. But the best part of the movie was the heart and emotion that went into it. You could see true love between Maggie and Seth because Cage and Ryan are two incredible actors. Every character in the film served a purpose, and did a great job. Dennis Franz (who I've seen for the first time not being a cop) plays a fallen angel who truly acts as if he loves the life he's chosen, while you can still see some sorrow at the life he left behind. Andre Braugher plays an angel who's friends with Seth. He sees what Seth wants, and is there to help him in any way possible. I really liked the performances and the feel of the movie. But because of the predictability, it wasn't as moving as maybe it should have been. Still, what this movie is, is a good love story that really makes you treasure what you have. It makes you realize that every day could be your last, and that you have to live life to the fullest.