''Heaven Can Wait'' is a 1978 American

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

sports film A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme. It is a production in which a sport, sporting event, athlete (and their sport), or follower of sport (and the s ...

directed by

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

and

Buck Henry Buck Henry (born Henry Zuckerman; December 9, 1930 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's ''The Graduate'' (1967) for which he r ...

about a young man (played by Beatty) being mistakenly taken to heaven by his guardian angel, and the resulting complications of how this mistake can be undone, given that his earthly body has been cremated. It was the second film adaptation of Harry Segall's play of the same name, the first being '' Here Comes Mr. Jordan'' (1941). Beatty was influenced by the beliefs of his sister, actress Shirley Maclaine, in mysticism and

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...

. The film was nominated for nine

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. The cast includes Beatty,

Julie Christie Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1940) is a British actress. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, Christie is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She ...

, and

Jack Warden Jack Warden (born John Warden Lebzelter Jr.; September 18, 1920July 19, 2006) was an American character actor of film and television. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''Shampoo'' (1975) and '' Heaven Can Wait' ...

, all of whom had appeared in ''

Shampoo Shampoo () is a hair care product, typically in the form of a Viscosity, viscous liquid, that is used for cleaning hair. Less commonly, shampoo is available in solid bar format. Shampoo is used by applying it to wet hair, massaging the product ...

'' (1975). In 2001, a third film adaptation of the play was done, titled '' Down to Earth'', sharing its name with the sequel to ''Here Comes Mr. Jordan'' (1941).

Plot

Joe Pendleton, a backup quarterback for the American football team Los Angeles Rams, is looking forward to leading his team to the Super Bowl. While he is riding his bicycle through a tunnel, an overzealous guardian angel on his first assignment, known only as The Escort, sees a large truck heading into the other end of the tunnel towards Joe. The Escort plucks Joe out of his body early in the mistaken belief that Joe was about to be killed. Once in the afterlife, Joe refuses to believe that his time was up, and upon investigation, Mr. Jordan (the Escort's supervisor) discovers that Joe was going to just narrowly miss the truck and he was not destined to die until March 20, 2025 at 10:17 AM. Unfortunately, his body has already been cremated, so a new body must be found for him. After rejecting several possible men who are about to die, Joe is persuaded to accept the body of a multi-millionaire industrialist. Leo Farnsworth has just been drugged and drowned in his bathtub by his cheating gold digger wife Julia Farnsworth and her lover Tony Abbott, Farnsworth's personal secretary. Julia and Tony are confused when Leo reappears alive and well, and Farnsworth's domestic staff is confused by the changes in some of his habits and tastes. Still obsessed with his football destiny, Farnsworth/Joe buys the Rams to lead them to the Super Bowl as their quarterback. To succeed, he must first convince and then secure the help of a longtime friend and trainer Max Corkle to get his new body in shape. At the same time, he falls in love with Betty Logan, an environmental activist, whom he met when she came to his doorstep to protest the original Farnsworth's corporate policies. With the Rams about to play in the Super Bowl, all the characters face a crisis. Mr. Jordan informs Joe that he must give up Farnsworth's body as well. Joe resists but hints to Betty that she might someday meet someone else, possibly another quarterback, and should think of him. Julia and Abbott continue their murderous plans, and Abbott finally shoots Farnsworth/Joe dead. The Rams are forced to start Tom Jarrett, another quarterback, in the climactic game. A detective, Lieutenant Krim, interrogates the suspects while they watch the game on television. With the help of Corkle, he gets Julia and Abbott to incriminate each other. After a brutal hit on the field, Jarrett is killed. With Mr. Jordan's help, Joe occupies Jarrett's body and leads the Rams to victory. During the team's postgame celebration, Corkle finds Joe, and when he realizes that it is him, they share an emotional embrace. As Joe is being interviewed on television, Mr. Jordan tells him that, to live as Tom Jarrett, he will have to lose the memories of his life as Joe Pendleton. As Mr. Jordan disappears, Tom/Joe becomes disoriented. Corkle goes to find Joe later and is crestfallen to realize that Joe has "left" Tom. Tom bumps into Betty while leaving the stadium. They strike up a conversation, and each appears to recognize the other, but they do not know how. The lights go out in the stadium as they exit the venue, and Tom says something that reminds Betty of Farnsworth/Joe. Looking into his eyes, Betty remembers what he said to her before and whispers “You’re the quarterback.” Tom asks her to go with him for coffee, and she accepts.

Cast

as Joe Pendleton *

as Betty Logan * James Mason as Mr. Jordan *

as Max Corkle *

Charles Grodin Charles Sidney Grodin (April 21, 1935 – May 18, 2021) was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Grodin began his acting career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including '' The Virginian''. After a small part ...

as Tony Abbott * Dyan Cannon as Julia Farnsworth *

as The Escort * Vincent Gardenia as Krim * Joseph Maher as Sisk *

Hamilton Camp Hamilton Camp (Born Robin S. Camp, 30 October 1934 – 2 October 2005) was a London-born actor and singer, who relocated to the United States with his family when he was a young child. He became an American folk singer during he 1960s, and ev ...

as Bentley * Arthur Malet as Everett *

Stephanie Faracy Stephanie Faracy (born January 1, 1952) is an American actress. She is known for playing supporting roles in films include '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1978), ''Scavenger Hunt'' (1979), ''Blind Date'' (1987), '' The Great Outdoors'' (1988), '' Hocus Pocu ...

as Corinne * Jeannie Linero as Lavinia * Larry Block as Peters * Frank Campanella as Conway * Dick Enberg as TV Interviewer *

Dolph Sweet Adolphus Jean Sweet (July 18, 1920 – May 8, 1985) was an American actor, credited with nearly 60 television and film roles and more than 50 roles in stage productions, including performances on Broadway. He often played policemen throughout ...

as Head Coach * R.G. Armstrong as General Manager * Ed V. Peck as Trainer * John Randolph as Former Owner * Will Hare as Team Doctor * Lee Weaver as Way Station Attendant *

Roger Bowen Roger Wendell Bowen (May 25, 1932 – February 16, 1996) was an American comedic actor and novelist, best known for his portrayal of Lt. Col. Henry Blake in the 1970 film ''M*A*S*H''. Bowen considered himself a writer who only moonlighted as an ...

as Newspaperman * Keene Curtis as Oppenheim * Morgan Farley as Middleton * William Bogert as Lawson * Peter Tomarken as Reporter * William Sylvester as Nuclear Reporter * Jerry Scanlan as Hodges * Jim Boeke as Kowalsky *

Les Josephson Lester Andrew Josephson (July 29, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American professional football running back in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football at Augustana College. Early years Josephson's fo ...

as Owens * Jack T. Snow as Cassidy *

Curt Gowdy Curtis Edward Gowdy (July 31, 1919 – February 20, 2006) was an American sportscaster. He called Boston Red Sox games on radio and TV for 15 years, and then covered many nationally televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports and ABC S ...

as TV Commentator *

Al DeRogatis Albert John DeRogatis (May 5, 1927 – December 26, 1995) was an American football player and television and radio sportscaster. Life and career DeRogatis was born in Newark, New Jersey, and attended the city's Central High School, earning ...

as TV Color Analyst Several former Los Angeles Rams players have cameo roles in the film, including

Deacon Jones David D. "Deacon" Jones (December 9, 1938 – June 3, 2013) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and the Washington Redskins. H ...

, Jack T. Snow, Jim Boeke, and Charley Cowan. In addition to the former players, some well-known sportscasters also appear, playing familiar roles.

and

can be heard doing the Super Bowl play-by-play commentary. Dick Enberg conducts an abortive postgame interview of Joe Pendleton/Tom Jarrett. Beatty lobbied hard for

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

to accept the role of Mr. Jordan, going so far as to have Grant's ex-wife, Dyan Cannon, who stars as Julia Farnsworth, urge him to take the role. Although Grant was tempted, he ultimately decided not to end his retirement from film-making.

Production

Beatty initially wanted Muhammad Ali to play the central character, but because of Ali's continued commitment to boxing, Beatty changed the character from a boxer to an American football player, and played the character himself. The type of instrument he played was also changed; in ''Here Comes Mr. Jordan'', Pendleton assays "

The Last Rose of Summer "The Last Rose of Summer" is a poem by the Irish poet Thomas Moore. He wrote it in 1805, while staying at Jenkinstown Castle in County Kilkenny, Ireland, where he was said to have been inspired by a specimen of Rosa 'Old Blush'. The poem is ...

" on the alto saxophone, and in the 1978 film, he plays " Ciribiribin" on a soprano sax. The music during the comic training scene with Joe and the servants at the Farnsworth mansion, as well as the later training session with the Rams is Handel's Sonata No. 3 in F Major, performed by Paul Brodie (sopranino saxophone) and Antonin Kubalek (piano). The main theme is the song "Heaven Can Wait" performed by

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...

and the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...

. Neil Diamond composed a song titled "Heaven Can Wait" specifically for the film that he thought would be a good theme song, but Beatty declined to use it. The

Paul McCartney and Wings Wings were a British-American rock band formed in 1971 by former Beatle bassist Paul McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards, session drummer Denny Seiwell, and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine. Wings were noted for their com ...

song "Did We Meet Somewhere Before?" was considered as a theme song for the film, but was ruled out. It later appeared in the film ''

Rock 'n' Roll High School ''Rock 'n' Roll High School'' is a 1979 American musical comedy film directed by Allan Arkush, produced by Michael Finnell, and starring P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, Clint Howard, and Dey Young. The film featured the punk rock group Ram ...

'' (1979). The Super Bowl game (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Rams) was filmed during halftime of the San Diego Chargers vs. Los Angeles Rams preseason game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 1, 1977. (About a year and a half after the film's release, in January 1980, the Rams and Steelers met in real life in Super Bowl XIV.) The estate used as Farnsworth mansion was filmed at

Filoli Filoli, also known as the Bourn-Roth Estate, is a country house set in of formal gardens surrounded by a estate, located in Woodside, California, about south of San Francisco, at the southern end of Crystal Springs Reservoir, on the eastern ...

, located in

Woodside, California Woodside is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. Woodside is among the wealthiest communities in the United States, home to many technology billionaires and investment manager ...

, south of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. Another filming location, albeit brief, was at Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles on the grounds beside the Gothic stone chapel in the scene where Joe discovers his body was cremated and scattered on the cemetery grounds. The football stadium used in the film was the home of the Los Angeles Rams team at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at 3911 South Figueroa Street, Exposition Park in Los Angeles.

Reception

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds an approval "Certified Fresh" rating of 87% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads "A throwback to the high-gloss screwball comedies of the 1940s, ''Heaven Can Wait'' beguiles with seamless production values and great comic relief from Charles Grodin and Dyan Cannon." Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four and called it "the kind of upbeat screwball comedy Hollywood used to do smoothly and well." Gene Siskel gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four and declared it "a delightful film that is both surprisingly fresh and old-fashioned."

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

of ''The New York Times'' wrote that the film "hasn't much personality of its own. Instead, it has a kind of earnest cheerfulness that is sometimes most winning. Mr. Beatty and Miss Christie are performers who bring to their roles the easy sort of gravity that establishes characters of import, no matter how simply they are drawn in the script." Charles Champlin of the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote that "Beatty and his accomplices have brought it off, with only minor patches of turbulence. The script has been expertly contemporized." Gary Arnold of ''The Washington Post'' wrote "''Heaven Can Wait'' is easily the most appealing new American movie on the market. It manages to preserve much of the charm and romantic fantasy that worked for its predecessor, the 1941 crowd-pleaser ''Here Comes Mr. Jordan'', while freshening up some of the settings and details and tailoring the roles to a different cast."

Penelope Gilliatt Penelope Gilliatt (; born Penelope Ann Douglass Conner; 25 March 1932 – 9 May 1993) was an English novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and film critic. As one of the main film critics for ''The New Yorker'' magazine in the 1960s an ...

of ''The New Yorker'' praised the script as "sometimes both loopy and brainy", but asked "good grief, what is all this braininess and talent doing in a remake of a Harry Segall play that has no relation to the real world we come out into from the cinema? One can see why there were films about transmigration and reincarnation during the war, but not now."

Awards and nominations

American Film Institute lists * AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs – Nominated * AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated * AFI's 10 Top 10 – Nominated Fantasy Film

References

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control 1978 films 1970s fantasy comedy films 1978 romantic comedy films 1970s romantic fantasy films 1970s sports films 1970s American films American fantasy comedy films Remakes of American films American films based on plays American football films American romantic comedy films American romantic fantasy films American sports comedy films Best Musical or Comedy Picture Golden Globe winners Body swapping in films 1978 directorial debut films 1970s English-language films Films about angels Films about death Films about the afterlife Films about reincarnation Films directed by Buck Henry Films directed by Warren Beatty Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe-winning performance Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe winning performance Films produced by Warren Beatty Films scored by Dave Grusin Films set in country houses Films whose art director won the Best Art Direction Academy Award Religious comedy films Resurrection in film Films with screenplays by Buck Henry Films with screenplays by Elaine May Films with screenplays by Robert Towne Films with screenplays by Warren Beatty Paramount Pictures films