Michael

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Michael

PG,

1996,

1h 45m,

Drama/

Fantasy/

Comedy

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Watchlist

Watchlist

39%

38 Reviews

Tomatometer

45%

100,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

39%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When jaded journalists Frank (William Hurt) and Huey (Robert Pastorelli), along with angel expert Dorothy (Andie MacDowell), travel to a small town in Iowa to investigate a story, they find Michael (John Travolta), a disheveled man claiming to be an angel. But Michael is less than angelic: he drinks, smokes and basks in the attention of women. As the group travels to Chicago, Michael teaches them about relationships, faith and miracles, suggesting that he may be exactly whom he says he is.

Critics Consensus

John Travolta plays an angel in Nora Ephron's maudlin Michael, a grating comedy that doesn't tap into the heavenly charms of her best work.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Dec 7, 2018

I feared that Nora Ephron's angel movie, Michael, would offer another heap of predigested uplift but was pleasantly surprised to find something quirkier and more off-center.

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Emanuel Levy

Variety

Dec 27, 2006

C-

Travolta's charismatic presence is the only positive element in Nora Ephron's flawed romantic fable marred by rough narrative spots and scattered direction, again showing that Ephron lacks the most basic technical skills.

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Aug 20, 2003

3/5

Some moments as lovely as the smell of cookies, especially the dance number.

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Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

Apr 10, 2026

D

No magic here; just John Travolta with dirty angel wings looking silly in a ridiculously inept story.

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Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

Jul 28, 2022

4/5

Director Nora Ephron knows her way around feel-good.

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Ellie Lucas

From the Front Row

Sep 23, 2020

2/4

An unfocused mess that, despite a few highlights, is one of Ephron's weakest films.

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Mar 17, 2019

Comical with more meaning than one might originally assume. Great cast of lead characters & music.

Harry R

Jan 20, 2019

its a funny and heart warming movie. recommended.

Abraham W

May 12, 2018

Pure Travolta brilliance in this feel good masterpiece. A resounding 5 stars!

Ron P

Jan 20, 2018

Dumb john travolta movie.

Hagrid G

Apr 29, 2017

Mildly amusing film about a trio of reporters investigating the appearance of an angel in Iowa. This could've been a made for TV movie. John Travolta plays the archangel Michael on his last visit to earth. Michael destroys all the reporters' preconceptions of what an angel is supposed to be. Michael is not at all what they expected. I was surprised to see Jean Stapledon, Edith from TV's All In The Family, plays the owner of a motel where Michael is living. The best scene is when Travolta dances to a classic Aretha Franklin song, "Chain of Fools."

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Leia W

Apr 17, 2017

About a whimsical and funny as a lead balloon; an unfortunate dud from Nora Ephron.

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Nora Ephron

Director

John Travolta

Michael

Andie MacDowell

Dorothy Winters

William Hurt

Frank Quinlan

Bob Hoskins

Vartan Malt

Robert Pastorelli

Huey Driscoll

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Synopsis

When jaded journalists Frank (William Hurt) and Huey (Robert Pastorelli), along with angel expert Dorothy (Andie MacDowell), travel to a small town in Iowa to investigate a story, they find Michael (John Travolta), a disheveled man claiming to be an angel. But Michael is less than angelic: he drinks, smokes and basks in the attention of women. As the group travels to Chicago, Michael teaches them about relationships, faith and miracles, suggesting that he may be exactly whom he says he is.

Director: Nora Ephron
Producer: James Jacks, Nora Ephron, Sean Daniel
Screenwriter: Peter Dexter, Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron, Jim Quinlan
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo, New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema, Alphaville Films, Turner Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $95.3M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Surround

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