City of Angels (film)



City of Angels is a 1998 film starring Nicolas Cage (far from his Nicolas Rage roots), Meg Ryan, and Sarah McLachlan's music. It's actually a remake of a classic German film, Wim Wenders' 1987 drama Wings of Desire, which is the root of a lot of criticism thrown at this film. Cage plays an angel who falls in love with Meg Ryan's character, a doctor, and chooses to fall from grace and become human. What follows pretty much falls under the Tear Jerker category; if you like it, you like it, but if you don't, oh ho ho.

If you want to watch the movie, reading the tropes that it contains will probably ruin it for you, so spoilers ahoy!


 * Breakaway Pop Hit: it's appropriate that, alphabetically, this trope comes first, because the film's soundtrack is basically its most memorable aspect. Popular songs that debuted there include:
 * Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls
 * Uninvited, Alanis Morissette
 * Angel, Sarah McLachlan
 * Cosmic Plaything: Seth. He This is irreversible. Then.
 * Diabolus Ex Machina
 * Downer Ending:
 * Hollywood Atheist: Averted. Maggie is an atheist until she receives proof that an angel is real.
 * Humanity Ensues: Messinger.
 * I Never Told You My Name: A variation. Seth calls Maggie by name and when asked points out that she's wearing a nametag. Later, she pulls off the name tag and it only shows her last name.
 * Mood Lighting: The movie mostly takes place at sunrise, sunset, or in soft/dim light, which gives the movie a powerfully emotional feel. It's like a lighting version of Scenery Porn.
 * Our Angels Are Different: They walk around in black trenchcoats, look human, speak any language, can travel instantaneously, and can choose whether humans can see them. They have no sense of touch, taste or smell, cannot see color and do not feel fear. They also.
 * Romantic Runner-Up: Jordan, fairly obviously.
 * Too Dumb to Live:
 * What Is This Thing You Call Love?: Angels cannot feel human emotions like fear and love.
 * They can apparently, however, experience concern, sadness, but most of all yearning. It's this last that really does Seth in, as he yearns for all the emotions he cannot understand.