Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: 07/27/1999
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: 1
Run Time: 101 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language
Distributor/Studio: Paramount

Opting for light entertainment after the critical satire of Shampoo (1975), producer-director-writer-star Warren Beatty remade the 1941 comic fantasy Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Dimly amiable L.A. Rams quarterback Joe Pendleton (Beatty) is prematurely called to Heaven by an over-eager escort (Buck Henry, who co-directed) after a traffic accident. When archangel Mr. Jordan (James Mason) discovers the error, he offers to return Joe to his body, only to find that it has been cremated. On the verge of playing in the Super Bowl, Joe demands a fit body rather than the old about-to-be-murdered industrialist Farnsworth he has been offered, but he reconsiders when he sees environmentalist Betty Logan (Julie Christie) in Farnsworth's house. Assuming Farnsworth's body while keeping his sweet self, Joe hires his beloved coach Max Corkle (Jack Warden) to get him in shape (after convincing Max who he really is), sets Farnsworth's business on an eco-friendly path, and romances Betty. Farnsworth's homicidal wife (Dyan Cannon) and secretary (Charles Grodin), however, are still determined to succeed in their plan to kill him. When Mr. Jordan finally finds the Super Bowl body Joe wanted, Joe has to trade his old self for the new life -- but will he remember his love for Betty? Heaven Can Wait offered contemporary yet old-fashioned escapism and tapped into the late-1970s vogue for nostalgic fun, becoming one of 1978's most popular summer movies after Grease. Updating the original while following its blueprint, Beatty and co-writer Elaine May switched Joe's sport and turned Joe into a man of his '70s moment, adoring Betty for her convictions and favoring "green" policies over corporate greed. Gently breathing life into a classic form, Heaven Can Wait found romantic innocence in a jaded time, and it went on to receive nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

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Cast:
Warren Beatty - Joe Pendleton
Julie Christie - Betty Logan
James Mason - Mr. Jordan
Jack Warden - Max Corkle
Charles Grodin - Tony Abbott
Dyan Cannon - Julia Farnsworth
Buck Henry - The Escort
Vincent Gardenia - Lt. Krim
Joseph Maher - Sisk
Dolph Sweet - Head Coach
R.G. Armstrong - General Manager
John Randolph - Former Owner
William Sylvester - Nuclear Reporter
Keene Curtis - Oppenheim
Hamilton Camp - Bentley
Jeannie Linero - Lavinia
Arthur Malet - Everett
Stephanie Faracy - Corinne

Production:
Warren Beatty Buck Henry - Director
Warren Beatty Buck Henry Charles H. Maguire - Producer
Dave Grusin - Composer
Don Zimmerman Robert Jones - Editor
Warren Beatty Elaine May - Screen Writer
George P. Gaines - Set Designer
Edwin O'Donovan - Art Director
George P. Gaines - Art Director
William A. Fraker - Cinematographer
Arlene Encell - Costume Designer
Michael W. Hoffman - Costume Designer
Richard Bruno - Costume Designer
Theadora Van Runkle - Costume Designer
Charles H. Maguire - Executive Producer
Howard W. Koch - Executive Producer
Lee C. Harman - Makeup
Harry Segall - Play Author
Paul Sylbert - Production Designer
Tom Overton - Sound/Sound Designer
Robert MacDonald - Special Effects
John K. Wilkinson - Sound/Sound Designer

The Sixth Man
    Marlon Wayans / PG13 / 1997
Oh! Heavenly Dog
    Chevy Chase / PG / 1980
Two of a Kind
    John Travolta / PG / 1983
Just Like Heaven [P&S]
    Reese Witherspoon / PG13 / 2005
Heart and Souls
    Robert Downey, Jr. / PG13 / 1993
Down to Earth
    Chris Rock / PG13 / 2001
All of Me
    Steve Martin / PG / 1984
Meet Joe Black
    Brad Pitt / PG13 / 1998

1978 Directors Guild of America

1978 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie

1978 Golden Globe