Date with an Angel (1987 Film): A Live Discussion

Unpacking "Date with an Angel" (1987)

• 🎥 The film is a 1987 rom-com about an engaged man who falls for an angel with a broken wing, despite being engaged to Phoebe Cates.
• 🤔 It's often compared to "Splash" but is noted for its lack of a charismatic lead and a convoluted plot that includes elements like party ninjas and an elderly bloodbath at an engagement party.
• 🧠 The protagonist's strange behavior is later revealed to be due to a brain tumor, which the angel was sent to collect his soul for, not for romance.

Angelic Communication & Character

• 🗣️ The angel's "voice" was created by a voice artist using "otherworldly speech" after test audiences laughed at her original squeaks, leading to sounds described as whale noises or Enya-like.
• 💋 Her primary form of communication and affection is through "smoochies," which some interpret as a "kiss of death" given her mission.
• 😇 Despite being an angel, she performs nothing overtly angelic beyond having wings, and her actions include pushing people and kicking them.

Plot Twists and Inconsistencies

• ⚠️ The movie's ending explains everything in 30 seconds, revealing the angel's true purpose was to collect the protagonist's soul for his ascension to heaven.
• 🧩 The plot is criticized for its inconsistent character motivations and bizarre elements, such as a priest smoking a joint or a gun rack in a fancy house.
• 📚 A mysterious "angel manual" found in a treehouse provides information about angels, despite the town's library having access to 13th-century texts.

Phoebe Cates and Supporting Cast

• 🌟 Phoebe Cates is highlighted as the most charismatic performer, delivering an incredible job despite being written as unlikable and constantly being overshadowed.
• 🎭 The "party ninjas" are described as dumb, uncool, and psychopathic, treating the angel like an animal and attempting to market her.
• 👨‍👧 The film features a sexually obsessed father and other characters who are "out of control crazy," contributing to the movie's chaotic nature.

Critical Reception & Themes

• 📊 Despite being panned by critics, the film has a 4.7-star average rating on Amazon, with many viewers loving it and feeling it was unfairly judged.
• 💰 The movie is interpreted as a "scathing indictment of 20th-century capitalism" and Reagan-era greed, with characters immediately trying to monetize the angel.
• 🤔 Alternative plot theories are proposed, such as the angel being a vision due to the tumor or the entire story being a "Jacob's ladder scenario" for a dying stripper.