City of Angels

When a guardian angel – who invisibly watches over the citizens of Los Angeles – becomes captivated by a strong-willed heart surgeon, he ponders trading in his pure, otherworldly existence for a mortal life with his beloved. The couple embarks on a tender but forbidden romance spanning heaven and Earth.

Critics generally found the performances and emotional premise appealing but considered the remake overly formulaic, sentimental, and philosophically thinner than its source.

• 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.

• Ghostsupernatural romance, grief, and questions of mortality and sacrifice
• What Dreams May Comeromantic fantasy centered on love, death, and the possibility of an afterlife
• Wings of Desirephilosophical supernatural romance with an otherworldly observer drawn toward human experience
• The Lake Houseromantic drama using speculative ideas to explore faith, love, and human existence

Director

Brad Silberling

Release Date

1998-04-10

Runtime

114 min

Rating

6.8 / 10 (2480)

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 Amazon Prime Video, YouTube Free, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel.