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Wim Wender's WINGS OF DESIRE gets a (loose) update in this pleasant love story that delivers a powerful message about the human exper- ience. Nothing profound, mind you, but thought-provoking enough to hold your interest when the emotions surrounding the characters (occasionally) fails to. (The plot: Nicholas Cage's mortal exis- tence-obsessed angel meets Meg Ryan's spiritually challenged heart surgeon. Swelling strings ensue.) From humor to heartache, we're served up a little bit of everything in this one. Nothing terribly gushing, thank Cage's character's creator, at least until the final reel. The full-circle ending wants to be three-hankie worthy (or worse), but a couple things keep us keeping our distance. Tricky is the last half-hour, which is rushed and doesn't give us enough time with the characters to fully appreciate (or sympathize with) their fates. Trickier is Cage's performance, which is soft-spoken almost to the point of parody. If you can get by that ultra- intense puppy-dog gaze of his, you've got it made. Myself, I was ready to send him back to John Woo. With Andre Braugher and a colorful Dennis Franz. Brad Silberling (CASPER) directs. John Seale (THE ENGLISH PATIENT) did the fabulous photography, largely sans special effects. (Rated "PG"/120 min.) Grade: B Copyright 1998 Michael J. Legeros Movie Hell is a trademark of Michael J. Legeros
Originally posted to triangle.movies in MOVIE HELL: April 12, 1998