Cast: Michael E. Knight, Emmanuelle Beart, Phoebe Cates, David Dukes, Bibi Besch
Director: Tom McLoughlin
Producer: Martha Schumacher
Screenplay: Tom McLoughlin
Cinematography: Alex Thompson
Music: Randy Kerber
U.S. Distributor: De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
Date with an Angel is all the proof that's needed to show that stardom in one country doesn't necessarily translate to fame in another. Emmanuelle Beart is a recognized name in the French film industry. Her resume includes, among other titles, Manon of the Spring and Un Coeur En Hiver. However, in 1987, following the completion of Manon, she appeared in one American film -- Date with an Angel. This was, without a doubt, her worst career decision, and an excellent argument for her to continue making movies only on the other side of the Atlantic.
Date with an Angel is as wretched a romantic comedy as they come. The romance is syrupy and the humor is unfunny. The dialogue is written at the intelligence level of a slow-witted seventh-grader, and most of the characters don't show that much maturity. With a film this horrible, is it any surprise that Dino DeLaurentiis' name is somehow involved with it.
In fact, about the only reason to see Date with an Angel is for Beart. Although she doesn't speak until the final five minutes, she's in quite a few of the scenes, and the camerawork is good enough to enhance her luminescent beauty (although, admittedly, it would be difficult for the most inept of cinematographers to mess up photographing her).
Beart is an angel on her way to Earth to pick up Jim Sanders (Michael E. Knight) and bring him to heaven. His time, it seems, is up. On the way, however, the angel has an accident. She breaks her wing and is unable to complete her mission. Jim finds her floating in his apartment's swimming pool, brings her inside, and does what he can for the injured wing. The angel, of course, falls madly in love with him, and though Jim is attracted to her, he has a problem. He's engaged, and his wife-to-be (Phoebe Cates) is not an understanding person. On top of that, a group of Jim's friends find out about the angel, and are determined to find some way to market her.
I suppose someone must have seen some potential somewhere in that premise. Regardless, the poor execution -- beginning with the script -- destroys any chance that it might be possible to enjoy Date with an Angel. This isn't a hateful movie, but it is a bad one, and had it not been for Beart, the rating would have been a lot lower.
Even lovers of the silliest, sappiest romances are likely to balk at sitting through this film, as it manages to do the virtually impossible: screw up a formula plot. Had there been a few laughs, I would have forgiven a lot, but there's not even a chuckle. Unless you're a huge fan of Beart, there isn't one reason to watch this movie. Not one. If it shows up on The Late, Late Show some night, the best thing to do would be to turn off the TV and go to sleep. You'll have more fun that way. I guarantee it.
© 1994 James Berardinelli