Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- wistful
- earnest
- melancholic
- romantic evening
- melancholy movie night
What critics said
Critics generally found the performances and emotional premise appealing but considered the remake overly formulaic, sentimental, and philosophically thinner than its source.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Seth is an immortal angel who falls in love with human heart surgeon Maggie and considers becoming human.
Seth has never experienced touch or taste and is drawn to Maggie's fully embodied human life.
The film remakes Wings of Desire as a Los Angeles-set Hollywood romance with heightened sentiment and familiar genre conventions.
Seth and other angels move invisibly through Los Angeles while accompanying the recently dead and watching hospital life.
Films like City of Angels, and why
Ghost
supernatural romance, grief, and questions of mortality and sacrifice
What Dreams May Come
romantic fantasy centered on love, death, and the possibility of an afterlife
Wings of Desire
philosophical supernatural romance with an otherworldly observer drawn toward human experience
The Lake House
romantic drama using speculative ideas to explore faith, love, and human existence
Movie Details
- Director
- Brad Silberling
- Release Date
- 1998-04-10
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (2460)
Cast
- Nicolas Cage
- Meg Ryan
- Dennis Franz
- Andre Braugher
- Colm Feore
- Robin Bartlett
- Joanna Merlin
- Sarah Dampf
- Rhonda Dotson
- Nigel Gibbs
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is City of Angels about?
- An angel in Los Angeles risks eternity for the tactile, fragile life of the surgeon he loves.
- What is City of Angels like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of City of Angels as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is City of Angels violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in City of Angels.
- What did critics think of City of Angels?
- Critics generally found the performances and emotional premise appealing but considered the remake overly formulaic, sentimental, and philosophically thinner than its source.
- Which films are like City of Angels?
- Films with a similar feel include Ghost, What Dreams May Come, Wings of Desire, and The Lake House.
- How long is City of Angels?
- City of Angels runs 114 minutes.
- Where can I watch City of Angels?
- In United States, City of Angels streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
