How Did This Get Made?

Date with an Angel LIVE!

February 13, 2026

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  • The hosts of *How Did This Get Made?* found the 1987 film *Date with an Angel* to be a chaotic, unpredictable roller coaster of a movie, especially due to its abrupt tonal shifts in the final minutes. 
  • The angel's voice in *Date with an Angel* was entirely replaced in post-production because the actress Emmanuelle Béart's original 'otherworldly sounds' were perceived as unintentional squeaks during test screenings. 
  • The film draws heavy, shocking comparisons to *Splash*, but features significantly weirder elements, including a character dying of a brain tumor, party ninjas, and a father obsessed with his daughter's modeling career. 
  • The ending of *Date with an Angel* is confusing, suggesting God wants the main characters to make music together, which one host found nonsensical. 
  • The audience debated whether the film would be improved if the angel narrative was revealed to be a hallucination caused by the protagonist's brain tumor, similar to *Jacob's Ladder*. 
  • Audience members interpreted the film as a critique of 1980s capitalism, noting that characters immediately sought to monetize the angel upon meeting her. 

Segments

Movie Premise and Splash Comparison
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(00:02:49)
  • Key Takeaway: Date with an Angel is a 1987 romantic comedy about a man with a brain tumor falling for a voiceless angel with a broken wing.
  • Summary: The live recording in Minnesota immediately establishes the film’s premise involving a brain tumor and a fallen angel. The hosts quickly identify the movie as a clear rip-off of the film Splash, despite claims by the filmmakers that it was written earlier. The angel’s voicelessness is noted as a major obstacle to romantic chemistry.
The ‘Heinie’ Word Usage
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(00:09:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The word ‘heiny’ (or ‘heine’) is used repeatedly throughout Date with an Angel, prompting the hosts to highlight its excessive inclusion.
  • Summary: June Diane Raphael notes the bizarre frequency of the word ‘heiny’ being used in dialogue, even in a clip where a character is kicked in the rear end. The hosts joke that someone must have manually typed the word ‘Heiny’ multiple times into the script. This specific word choice becomes a memorable, strange element of the film’s writing.
Phoebe Cates’ Performance and Appeal
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(00:10:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Phoebe Cates is praised as the most charismatic performer in the movie, successfully navigating bizarre material like a ‘woodland nymph scene’ and a line about her father being in a ‘poo-poo mood.’
  • Summary: The hosts express immense admiration for Phoebe Cates, suggesting she deserves an Oscar for her performance despite the material. They argue the movie should have focused on her character being abandoned by her fiancé for an angel. Even when dressed unflatteringly, Cates’ inherent charm makes her the most watchable element.
Angel’s Supernatural Elements and Risks
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(00:07:47)
  • Key Takeaway: The angel character engages in bizarre, non-angelic behavior, including suckling a fawn and interacting with wild animals like bears on a large soundstage.
  • Summary: The angel’s arc includes a sequence reminiscent of Snow White, where she lives among forest creatures, including allegedly suckling a fawn. The sheer scale of the soundstage required for these live-action animal scenes suggests the production was costly. The angel also uses physical force, kicking people in the ‘heiny.’
The Fiancé’s Character Flaws
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(00:11:30)
  • Key Takeaway: The fiancé, Tad (Michael E. Knight), is viewed as an unlikable villain for abandoning Phoebe Cates for the angel, especially since he shows cold feet at the engagement party.
  • Summary: The hosts universally side with Phoebe Cates, feeling the fiancé’s instincts are not true because he is actively betraying his fiancée. His pouting in the rain while playing the harmonica is seen as infuriatingly self-centered. The fact that he is dying of a brain tumor is a late reveal that only partially excuses his behavior.
The Brain Tumor Twist and Plot Confusion
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(00:14:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The major twist revealed in the final minutes is that the angel was sent by God to collect the fiancé’s soul because he is dying from a brain tumor.
  • Summary: The hosts note that the fiancé repeatedly mentions headaches, which explains his falling asleep, but this crucial information is withheld until the end. This twist makes the angel’s constant attempts to kiss him potentially a ‘kiss of death.’ The film’s structure is criticized for burying the central conflict until the last moments.
Party Ninjas and Bachelor Party Chaos
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(00:31:52)
  • Key Takeaway: The party ninjas are characterized as the most charismatic trio, acting like government agents attempting to capture and market the angel using French fries as bait.
  • Summary: The bachelor party is deemed the worst in history, featuring a pornographic film called The Tender Bartender and a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game. The ninjas attempt to lure the angel with French fries, mirroring the government agents in E.T. The timing of the bachelor party, occurring right before the engagement party, is noted as chronologically odd.
Angel’s Voice Dubbing Revelation
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(00:55:12)
  • Key Takeaway: The angel’s voice was entirely replaced by a voiceover artist who created ‘Otherworldly Speech’ after test audiences laughed at the actress Emmanuelle Béart’s original squeaks.
  • Summary: A sound designer hired the voice artist to create three separate tracks—musical, strange sounds, and speech-like—to replace the actress’s vocalizations. The resulting composite voice is described as sounding like whale noises or Enya, leading the hosts to question how the fiancé could fall in love with someone communicating via dolphin sounds.
June and Paul’s Sushi Chef Anecdote
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(00:44:33)
  • Key Takeaway: June and Paul recount an uncomfortable experience with a private sushi chef who praised the thin tomato slices on Subway sandwiches.
  • Summary: The hosts describe the awkwardness of having a private chef in their small apartment for four hours, feeling compelled to help with dishes. The chef’s praise for Subway tomatoes—which the hosts compare to the movie’s poor-quality tomatoes—was a major red flag. The chef also gave incorrect advice on how to properly eat sushi.
Confusing Movie Ending
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(01:01:03)
  • Key Takeaway: The final moments of Date with an Angel suggest divine approval for the main characters to pursue a musical career together.
  • Summary: The conclusion implies God validates the protagonist’s musical talent through the angel’s intervention. One host admitted this final exposition did not clarify the preceding events for them. The sequence also explains why the protagonist falls asleep during the press conference scene.
Brain Tumor Theory Debate
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(01:01:50)
  • Key Takeaway: The brain tumor subplot is considered background noise compared to the film’s more overt comedic and bizarre elements.
  • Summary: The brain tumor is described as being ’laid very low’ and not shocking given the presence of a priest smoking marijuana and a dog biting someone’s rear end. A listener proposed the film would be better as a Jacob’s Ladder scenario where the entire plot is the protagonist’s imagined experience near death. Another listener countered by suggesting the entire scenario could be the dying dream of the stripper who dies at the bachelor party.
Audience Question: Love Bug Telegram
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(01:03:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The singing telegram delivered by the ’love bug’ was a memorable comedic highlight for the audience.
  • Summary: A listener asked if any of the hosts had received a telegram as good as the singing telegram delivered by the love bug. The hosts confirmed the love bug scene elicited genuine laughter, noting the singing was a side effect of the telegram delivery. The segment concluded with a desire for a spin-off movie centered on the love bug character.
Angel Free Will and Morality
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(01:04:43)
  • Key Takeaway: The angel’s explanation that she was ‘brought down to earth for her good behavior’ raises questions about whether angels possess free will or are constantly monitored.
  • Summary: The exposition dump suggests angels might not have free will if their presence on Earth is a reward for past good behavior. This prompted a debate on whether angels are inherently incapable of bad behavior, which was quickly countered by the audience shouting that Satan was a fallen angel.
Capitalism Critique of the Film
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(01:06:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The film serves as a scathing indictment of 1980s American greed and Reaganomics, as characters prioritize monetizing the angel over love.
  • Summary: The first audience reaction suggested the film is about capitalism because the friends’ immediate response to the angel was to figure out how to monetize her. Phoebe Cates’s father also immediately wanted to make her a model, prioritizing money over his daughter’s happiness. This theme is seen as fitting for the ‘greed is good’ Gordon Gekko era.
Skepticism Over Angel Wings
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(01:07:30)
  • Key Takeaway: The characters’ unquestioning acceptance of the angel’s wings contrasts with the hosts’ skepticism regarding their authenticity.
  • Summary: The hosts noted that no character attempts to verify the angel’s wings, which one host suggested should be checked like one would check the ‘shoulders’ or ‘under the hood’ of a suspicious item. The audience agreed that skepticism is warranted, especially given the New York upbringing of one host who expects proof.
Angel Hypnosis and Abduction Press Conference
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(01:09:19)
  • Key Takeaway: The scene where the angel is tied up and presented at a press conference mirrors the staging of a hostage situation.
  • Summary: When the angel was tied up and gagged to stop her hypnotic chirping, the men presented her to the press as if she were a kidnapped hostage. The absurdity was heightened by the fact that they covered her wings, the very feature they should have been showing to prove her identity.
Angel Manual in the Treehouse
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(01:10:48)
  • Key Takeaway: The protagonist accessed an obscure ‘angel manual’ from the town library, which possessed historical depth comparable to texts only Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer would possess.
  • Summary: A listener pointed out the protagonist reads an angel manual in the treehouse to confirm the angel’s powers were recovered. The hosts noted the book appeared leather-bound and ancient, implying the small-town library had access to 13th-century texts. This detail was contrasted with the fact that the characters ignored the Bible, which might contain actual relevant information.
Physical Comedy and Hiney Biting
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(01:12:26)
  • Key Takeaway: The dog attack scene, where the dog bites the father’s ‘hiney,’ was cited as an example of the film’s over-the-top physical comedy.
  • Summary: The dog attack was filmed from the dog’s point of view as it entered the man’s rear end, leading to the father repeatedly complaining about his ‘hiney’ for the remainder of the film. The father’s subsequent attempt to describe the angel in the boardroom as ‘my daughter’s fiancé’s girlfriend’s mistress’ was also highlighted as a major laugh point.
Titular Date and Character Ages
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(01:14:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The specific ‘date’ referenced in the title Date with an Angel is ambiguous, suggesting a general romantic encounter rather than a specific event.
  • Summary: The audience questioned what the titular date referred to, concluding it likely meant a general ‘date with destiny’ rather than a specific outing like going to Wendy’s. The discussion also touched on the confusing age dynamics, as Phoebe Cates’s character throwing her boyfriend’s things out the window suggested she lived at home, implying she was younger than initially assumed.
Roger Ebert’s Review Reading
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(01:17:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Roger Ebert’s review praised Emmanuelle Béart’s performance as a convincing angel, though he ultimately called the movie garbage, highlighting his animosity toward Gene Siskel.
  • Summary: Ebert found Béart convincing, suggesting her appeal was on a ‘basic sexual level,’ which Siskel immediately seized upon. The hosts noted the powerful animosity between Siskel and Ebert, which was a highlight of watching their reviews. The protagonist, Tad, was deemed a ‘piece of shit’ for not breaking up with Phoebe Cates’s character after the bachelor party incident.
Second Opinion and Audience Ratings
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(01:19:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Despite critical panning, Date with an Angel maintains a high average rating (4.7/5 stars) on Amazon, with many viewers finding it heartwarming.
  • Summary: The second opinion segment featured audience members giving the film high praise, including one who gave it five stars and another who noted that girls left the theater crying happily. One Amazon review from 2018 lamented that critics caused the film to fail at the box office, calling the judges ‘charlatans.’ Another review bizarrely focused on the difficulty of ordering the DVD in Canada and the need to ‘Keep Canadians Working.’
Box Office Failure and Saturn Nomination
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(01:28:31)
  • Key Takeaway: The $8 million film only grossed $2 million, bankrupting the studio that released it, though it received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Fantasy Film.
  • Summary: The movie’s failure was so significant it bankrupted the releasing studio, despite the presence of hit songs like Steve Winwood’s ‘The Finer Things.’ It was nominated for Best Fantasy Film at the 1988 Saturn Awards but lost to The Princess Bride. The hosts suggested that today, the film’s themes might position it as a faith-based movie, provided the sexual elements were removed.