While reading the brief synopsis for Always (1989), I got the impression that it was going to be about a recently deceased man, firefighting pilot Pete Sandich (Richard Dreyfuss), becoming a guardian angel.  By the way, this is not giving away the plot.  This happens within the first half hour of the film, and it is evident that this is going to occur if you watch the trailer.  Thus, I chose the movie with the expectation that this Catholic reviewer would be talking about the bad theology behind this notion.  It has become cliché among some Christians that when a person passes away, they get their “wings.”  This is not what Catholicism teaches.  The Church holds that angels are spiritual beings God creates separately.  As such, we do not become them when we die, just like a snail does not transform into a fire hydrant.  Having said all this, I am not sure that is what is intended in the story.  It is still theologically incorrect, but let me explain why.

As Always, there is no explaining Pete’s antics at the controls of his twin engine plane as he fights fires in the Northwestern Rocky Mountains.  He and his friend and fellow pilot, Al Yackey (John Goodman), are assisting in putting out a blaze, but Pete feels he has to make one more pass despite being low on fuel.  The person most displeased with Pete’s daredevil ways is Dorinda Durston (Holly Hunter), his girlfriend.  She works in the tower for the airfield out of which Al and Pete fly, and she is equally frustrated and impressed when he manages to land without power.  Because Pete thinks it is his birthday, he plans to make it up to her with a celebration that night at the bar where all the firefighting personnel gather.  Though she is still annoyed, he buys her a dress and they dance.  They spend that night into the next day together, during which she has a feeling that his “number is up.”  He tries to wave off her premonition, but she changes tacks and mentions Al’s idea that Pete become the commander of a school teaching others to do their job.  Originally, Pete had insisted that his place is in the cockpit, but when she talk about becoming a flier too, he relents.  Yet, not long thereafter, the phone rings and they need people in the air immediately.  Despite it being his day off, Pete goes, along with Al.  During their mission, Al goes too low and one of his engines catches on fire.  Things are looking bleak until Pete goes into a steep dive to catch up, dropping his flame retardant on Al’s plane.  Al’s life is saved, but Pete fails to properly pull up, leading to his plane exploding.  The next thing Pete knows, he is on the ground walking to a non-burned patch of grass.  Standing there is a woman named Hap (Audrey Hepburn), who cheerfully but matter-of-factly explains to the pilot that he is dead.  He takes the news well, all things considered, but she is not done with him.  Because he has been so blessed, he is now called upon to return the favor to someone else.  He also must be selfless in his actions otherwise his spirit will wane.  This Catholic is unclear what this means, particularly since it never seems to have any consequences, but I digress.  The person Pete is chosen to guide is Ted Baker (Brad Johnson).  We have met him already, on the night of Dorinda’s fake birthday, when he had insisted on getting a turn with her.  Pete is brought to Ted as the young man is trying to attend the same school about which Al had spoken, though the latter of these three men is now in charge of it.  Ted does not make a good first impression, partly because Pete is taking delight in his newfound powers of suggestion.  During the training runs, Pete gets Ted to fly over Al, dumping the chemicals on the boss.  The stunt gets Ted kicked out, and Pete must go with him.  As they are traveling, a storm kicks up, forcing them to land.  They find a homeless person, Dave (Roberts Blossom), who is able to repeat some of what Pete is saying.  The message that Ted receives is that he needs return to the school and pursue a relationship with Dorinda, much to Pete’s aggravation.  Speaking of Dorinda, she has a chance run-in with Al, who convinces her to come to his base of operations instead of being an air traffic controller.  It does not take Ted long to begin to make his moves, and Pete must watch in agony as his charge and Dorinda get closer.  Still, it is evident that she is not over Pete.  After Ted departs, she puts on the aforementioned dress and dances with Pete.  Pete spends the night with her whispering that he will always protect her.  If you are thinking that this does not sound selfless, you would be right, and he is summoned by Hap to go over the rules.  Again, I am not sure what the consequences are for him disobeying, but basically he is told that he must say goodbye.  Thus, he is sent back to Ted, and this time everyone has returned to putting out fires in the mountains.  Since last they met, Ted has become one of Al’s most trusted pilots.  There is also a bit of Pete in the up-and-coming flier.  When a major conflagration breaks out and traps a number of people on the ground, Ted says he is going to go out rather than following the proper protocol.  Dorinda, though, decides she is going to climb in the cockpit, and Pete notices before she takes off.  He guides her through the dangerous operation and is able to convince her to get out when she is forced to make a water landing.  With this, he is able to tell her that she is going to have a wonderful life and says farewell.

Always underscores the importance of saying goodbye, even if that is not what I thought would be the point of the movie.  Neither is this about the function of a guardian angel, which is why I questioned my initial reaction in the introduction.  One thing that should be underscored before moving on is that nobody truly knows what will happen to us when we die.  Earlier I mentioned that what we see here is not theologically correct, and I stand by that statement.  Nowhere in Scripture does it suggests that we will come back as a ghost in order to guide people.  Having said that, this is something that is reported about saints.  Indeed, many of the miracles we attribute to them, the verification of which is a key part of the beatification process, involve things that occur after their deaths.  One of my favorites, even if it is not a part of the official story, is reports of St. Padre Pio helping people in the desolate areas along the Mexico-United States border.  Ironically enough, among the real divine happenings attributed to him is his appearing to pilots in cockpits during World War II and convincing them not to drop bombs on certain villages.  This is not unlike what we see in the film, although Pete is never visible to the characters until Dorinda sees him in the final minutes.  Where my Faith diverges from the movie is in the operation.  Could this happen as we see it here?  Possibly.  Yet, this is also the wrong question.  If God wants to intervene in this way in our lives, He can.  However, it is not Pete or St. Padre Pio making it happen, but God’s will.  Had we seen some sort of nod to Providence, I could have made a stronger link to proper theology.  As it is, despite being mostly satisfying in its conclusion, it ultimately fails to be something truly great.

Then again, so what if Always is not truly great.  It comes pretty close, and it has some neat special effects for being made in 1989.  You can credit that to being directed by Steven Spielberg, so you know you are at least in competent hands.