''Can't Be Heaven'' (also known as ''Forever Together'') is a 1999 American
comedy-drama film
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
directed by Richard Friedman. The film stars
Ralph Macchio
Ralph George Macchio Jr. ( ; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in three ''Karate Kid'' films and in ''Cobra Kai'', a sequel television series. He also played Johnny Cade in '' The Outsiders' ...
and Bryan Burke. The film was loosely based on the 1968 movie ''
Blackbeard's Ghost
''Blackbeard's Ghost'' is a 1968 American Fantasy film, fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson (director), Robert Stevenson and starring Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones (actor), Dean Jones, and Suzanne Pleshette. It was produced by Walt Disne ...
''.
Plot
Danny (
Bryan Burke), is a young student in middle school. He starts to develop feelings for his best friend, Julie (
Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg (; born October 11, 1985) is an American actress and model. Trachtenberg began her career at age three, appearing in a number of commercials, films, and television series as a child. Her starring role on the Nickelodeon tel ...
). However a new student by the name of Archie (
Michael Galeota
Michael James Galeota (August 28, 1984 – January 10, 2016) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Nick Lighter in the Disney Channel series ''The Jersey''.
Early life
Galeota was born in Smithtown, New York. He had three b ...
) comes in and sweeps Julie off her feet. Danny flees to the graveyard where his father is buried and talks to him about his problems. He soon comes across Hubbie the Ghost (
Ralph Macchio
Ralph George Macchio Jr. ( ; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in three ''Karate Kid'' films and in ''Cobra Kai'', a sequel television series. He also played Johnny Cade in '' The Outsiders' ...
), who helps Danny with his girl problems. As a former living person from the 1930s, Hubbie, gives Danny his advice. The advice repeatedly backfires, always leaving Danny depressed. Danny soon learns that Hubbie once had a former lover before dying in an accident. Danny and Julie end up together at a school dance and Hubbie re-connects with his former love with the help of Danny.
Cast
*
Bryan Burke as Danny
*
Ralph Macchio
Ralph George Macchio Jr. ( ; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in three ''Karate Kid'' films and in ''Cobra Kai'', a sequel television series. He also played Johnny Cade in '' The Outsiders' ...
as Hubbie
*
Diane Ladd
Diane Ladd is an American actress. She has appeared in over 120 film and television roles. For the 1974 film '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'', she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy A ...
as Nana Gina
*
Rachel Ticotin
Rachel Ticotin Strauss is an American film and television actress. She has appeared in films such as '' Fort Apache, The Bronx''; '' Total Recall'', '' Falling Down'', and ''Con Air''. She has appeared in the NBC legal drama '' Law & Order: LA'' ...
as Maggie
*
Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg (; born October 11, 1985) is an American actress and model. Trachtenberg began her career at age three, appearing in a number of commercials, films, and television series as a child. Her starring role on the Nickelodeon tel ...
as Julie
*
Garry Marshall
Garry Kent Marshall (November 13, 1934 – July 19, 2016) was an American filmmaker and actor. He started his career in the 1960s writing for ''The Lucy Show'' and ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' before he developed Neil Simon's 1965 play ''The Odd Co ...
as Pawn Shop Owner
*
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Christine Cuoco ( ; born November 30, 1985) is an American actress. After a series of supporting film and television roles in the late 1990s, she landed her breakthrough role as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom ''8 Simple Rules'' (2002 ...
as Teresa Powers
*
Michael Galeota
Michael James Galeota (August 28, 1984 – January 10, 2016) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Nick Lighter in the Disney Channel series ''The Jersey''.
Early life
Galeota was born in Smithtown, New York. He had three b ...
as Archie
*
Matt McCoy as Mike
*
Rachel Robinson
Rachel Annetta Robinson (née Isum; born July 19, 1922) is the widow of professional baseball player Jackie Robinson, as well as an American former professor and registered nurse.
Life and work
Rachel Isum was born in Pasadena, California, a ...
as Miss Viola
*
Shayna Fox
Shayna Fox is an American former actress, known for voicing Regina "Reggie" Rocket on the Nickelodeon animated television series ''Rocket Power'' as well as Savannah on ''All Grown Up!.''
Early life
Fox is the second of two daughters born in ...
as Shirley
*
Mike Alaimo as Father Micelli
*
Ralph Manza
Ralph Manza (December 1, 1921 – January 31, 2000) was an American character actor who made over 160 appearances in American film and television shows.
Career
A pre-med student at UC-Berkeley in the early 1940s, Manza was drafted into the Unit ...
as Anzio
* Annie Abbott as Miss Wisser
* Siri Baruc as Young Nona Gina
* Bryan Robinson as Edgar
* Jamie Williams as Phil
Releases
The film was first released in 1999 on DVD by Ardustry Home Entertainment, and re-released in 2009 by Mill Creek Entertainment.
Reception
''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' praised the film as an imaginative and refreshing look at adolescent romance, writing that it was "an amusing coming of age story far above the run-of-the-mill teen fare churned out in abundance".
References
External links
*
*{{Rotten Tomatoes, forever_together, Can't Be Heaven (Forever Together)
1999 films
1999 comedy-drama films
American comedy-drama films
American teen comedy films
American romantic comedy films
1990s English-language films
1990s American films