The Top 10 Best Movie Angels
Movie Angels Don’t Always Deliver Divine Justice…
I’m not the religious type, but I still appreciate a lot of the movie angles that have shown up on the big screen over the years. Whether they be run-of-the-mill, guardian, fallen, or whatever else there might be in between, I thought it would be cool to come up with a list of the 10 best movie angels of all time. After all, I did it with demons, and the last thing I want is anyone to accuse me or Stars & Popcorn of being biased in that whole war between good and evil. The only restriction I’ve put in place is that Lucifer, Beelzebub, Satan, whatever you want to call him, won’t be appearing among the movie angels below (don’t worry, the Devil’s been given his due). Other than that, I’m just going to require that the characters are actual angels (none of that metaphorical crap). Now, you better knock off all that sinnin,’ because this list of movie angles is about to descend from above and everyone knows angels are snitches.
10. The Escort- Heaven Can Wait
Unlike God, movie angels are far from infallible. They mess up just like we do from time to time. Of course, their screw-ups are a bit more on the cosmic side. We never actually find out their names, but The Escort (Buck Henry) makes a pretty big boo-boo his first day on the job as a guardian angel when he plucks a human from his body (Warren Beatty) an instant before he’s about to die. The thing is that he wasn’t going to die. It was just going to be a near-death experience, and he was supposed to live for several more decades. It’s a pretty huge mistake, but it makes me feel better knowing that even divine beings have off days sometimes. The Escort doesn’t exactly look celestial, but you’re going to find movie angels of all shapes and sizes on this list.
9. Holly- Little Nicky
The titular Little Nicky is actually a Nephilim. Technically, he’s the child of two angels. It’s just that dear old dad is of the fallen variety. Mom, though, is actually an angel who hasn’t had her Heaven membership card revoked (appropriately played by America’s sweetheart Reese Witherspoon). Nicky never had a chance to get his mom, since apparently dad got custody in the breakup. That didn’t stop Holly from looking over her “darling baby boy” from above, and when he needs mom the most, she’s happy to give him a hand. While a lot of the demons below might tease Nicky for having an angel for a mommy, thanks to the inner light he inherited from her, he’s able to save humanity. Well, inner light and a very special orb that releases a murderous Ozzy Osborne.
8. Al the Boss Angel- Angels in the Outfield
Despite not earning a spot among the best baseball movies of all time, Angels in the Outfield definitely deserves a spot on this list thanks to Al the Boss Angel (Christopher Lloyd). Look, I’m not going to try to explain why some prayers are answered and some aren’t. As a mortal, what right do I have to question why Al chose to help a kid’s favorite baseball team win rather than, say, step in when Boko Haram kidnapped those school girls. I suppose them’s just the rules (there are a lot of weird rules in Angels in the Outfield). Al the Boss Angel answers Rodger’s (weird name for a kid, right?) prayer to help the Angels win the pennant in order to get his deadbeat dad back. Obviously, a baseball team winning doesn’t change the fact that Roger’s dad is a jerk, but hey, at least Al doesn’t have to pay his bookie that $50 he would have lost otherwise.
7. Jackson and O’Reilly- A Life Less Ordinary
Some movie angels need a partner to get the job done, so I’ve decided to include duos on this list as well. That being said, two of my favorite divine beings are the cherubs Jackson (Delroy Lindo) and O’Reilly (Holly Hunter). A lot of you might think that cherubs are those chubby seraphs that shoot arrows at people to make them fall in love. Well, you’re right, but love has gotten a lot more complicated since the dawn of time. These days it’s probably easier to find the holy grail than true love. Because of that, cherubs have resorted to new and… unusual techniques. From kidnapping to assault to psychological torture, Jackson and O’Reilly are willing to do anything to get the job done. They’re like holy terminators who won’t stop coming until you tell that special someone those magical three little words… No, not “friends with benefits.”
6. Louis- Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
Not to be confused with the atrocious 2019 remake, the original Jacob’s Ladder featured the most heavenly of all the movie angels. Thanks to a back injury he received in Vietnam, Jacob Singer regularly sees his chiropractor Louis (Danny Aiello) for relief from the debilitating injury. Louis is all too happy to offer a healing hand as he waxes philosophical with Jacob. However, when Jacob starts seeing visions of demons, he’s left in crippling pain after they cause him to injure his back again. In agony and with demons ready to claim his soul, Jacob is rescued by Louis just when he’s about to lose all hope. Louis alleviates his suffering and offers him comforting words that allow Jacob to finally face the truth of what’s happening around him. If you haven’t seen Jacob’s Ladder, you definitely need to.