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Heaven Can Wait

When Joe Pendleton’s (Warren Beatty) destiny of leading the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl is forever altered by a heaven’s gate keeping rookie (Buck Henry), the by-the-book afterlife supervisor Mr. Jordan (James Mason) offers to temporarily put Pendleton into the body of the wealthy tycoon Leo Farnsworth, whose wife (Dyan Cannon) and personal secretary (Charles Grodin) are plotting to kill, in order to usurp his vast fortune. An undaunted Pendleton (as Farnsworth) reaches out to his best friend and Rams’ trainer “Corkle” (Jack Warden) to help him get in NFL caliber shape, win back his quarterback job with the Rams, lead them to a Super Bowl victory and fulfill his destiny. As with McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Shampoo, Beatty and Christie’s chemistry is captivating, as is the mercurial nature of the film, the sublime supporting cast and the seamless screenplay by Elaine May and Beatty. Charles Grodin and Jack Warden are stellar in roles that showcased their talents in this 1978 remake that garnered nine Academy Award nominations.

“An outstanding film… Script and direction are very strong, providing a rich mix of visual and verbal humor that is controlled and avoids the extremes of cheap vulgarity and overly esoteric whimsy.” – Variety

“This is the kind of upbeat screwball comedy Hollywood used to do smoothly and well. Hollywood still does; the co-direction by Beatty and Buck Henry is confident, the performances are slyly humorous without hitting us over the head, and the screenplay (by Elaine May with Beatty’s participation) takes the curse off the plot’s essential sweetness by getting in some nice, mean digs at greed, corporate politics, adultery, professional football in general and jocks in particular.”- Roger Ebert

Garret Mathany discusses Heaven Can Wait on the New Beverly blog.

Kim Morgan discusses Heaven Can Wait on the New Beverly blog.

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