Ein höllisch guter Engel

A fun movie reminiscent of Ghost (1990). Lowe was better than some of his other movies in the comedy. Michael York, the devil, was really interesting to watch; remember him from 1968 Romeo and Juliet? He is reminiscent of James Mason. Aleaxandra Powers was love at first sight for her role in this one. And Frank McRae is a winner even off the foot ball field. A delightfully light hearted movie about a devil hey boy and an angle who fall in love. Worth the time.

Here we have a film that apparently was never released to the theatres & it is easy to figure out why You have Rob Lowe as one of the Devils messengers in heavy make-up looking years younger than he does on the West Wing, he is not very convincing in farce, an actress named Alexandra Power as an angel she is not very believable either & Michael York a very reliable actor playing Satan,. mr York has a field day & he at least seems to be enjoying the nonsense. Now there is one person I missed & her performance makes the film worth seeing I am talking about SIGNE HASSO she is an old time actress from the late `30s & `40s. She plays with mucho gusto an actress of that period. Its an absolute pleasure to watch her do a take of on herself. The rest of the cast & the entire production is second rate.

The story of Rob Lowe's character Nick is that he must go to Earth from Hell where he is assigned to capture the soul of Cassie Springer in a small town. She is a diner waitress played by Alexandra Powers. The film's best moments are with Michael York as the devil. Eva La Rue plays his helper who has to keep Nick from discovering his past life on earth. I don't get Sandra Bernhard's performance as God. I loved Signe Hasso as Cassie's Aunt Vivian. She is fabulous in perhaps one of her last great roles. You can tell that she was a great film actress. Bruce Weitz and Anne De Salvo are a couple who worked at the diner and dream of their own business one day. Still, they have to convince the courts that Aunt Vivian is unable to manage her estate. Nick's weak plan is to get Cassie to lose Aunt Vivian to the funny farm and end up turning a gun on someone else.

Nick is in Hell. Literally. The Devil calls him into his office and tells him that he will be sent to Earth to cause trouble in the life of Cassie, the too-perfect waitress at Eddie's Restaurant.

Cassie lives with Vivian, Eddie's aunt and the owner of the restaurant. Vivian believes she was once a movie star but has no evidence to prove this. Rita, another waitress, wants to be Eddie's partner--in more ways than one.

Nick likes his coffee hot and black. He even needs to add hot sauce. The new cook's chili, though, is just right for him.

As Nick starts causing trouble, The Devil watches on a TV screen, sometimes gleefully but often distressed. Monitoring his progress on Earth is Daphne. One possible complication: Nick starts to remember who he was on Earth before he died. Brian, a clerk in Hell, knows Nick's secret but is ordered not to tell.

One of the best scenes, and something that has to be considered unique in film history, was the one where the restaurant's new cook was hired. I enjoyed the movie overall, and most of the actors were pretty good. There were also some amazing plot twists, and a satisfying ending.

Rob Lowe didn't seem to be that good a comic actor. His character's lines were well-written, but his delivery lacked something. He was at his best in scenes that could have fit in a dramatic movie. However, maybe my opinion of him is clouded by the fact I couldn't stand him in 'The West Wing'.

I didn't really care that much for Cassie either. It's probably just my opinion and I'm sure Alexandra Powers did a capable job.

But Michael York did a fine job as a despicable Devil, and Eva LaRue was deliciously evil. LaRue also gave us a sultry jazz performance at the start of the closing credits. Also, Signe Hasso was enjoyably over-the-top as Aunt Vivian.

The comical background music, which also showed up in the closing credits, was very effective. I also enjoyed the big-band music that played in Vivian's house and at the Young Republicans' dance. What I didn't like was the new-age music that was played in some romantic scenes and during the end of the credits.

This was really good.

I remember being very disappointed in this film. The notion of a devil trying to corrupt a good person ( and finding himself influenced instead) seemed interesting. But the movie does not do much with that premise. The only funny scene is where Rob Lowe (playing the devilish character) finds himself having to say grace at a meal. His contorted attempts to say it but not say it were pretty comical. But that happens early on and the rest of the film is determinedly unfunny and inept.