A Los Angeles Rams quarterback, accidentally taken away from his body by an overanxious angel before he was meant to die, returns to life in the body of a recently murdered millionaire.
Warren Beatty and Buck Henry’s 1978 romantic comedy, “Heaven Can Wait,” completely took me by surprise. I remember, as a kid and teenager, living back in Dublin, Ireland, I used to visit the local video store almost daily and I always remember the video cover for “Heaven Can Wait,” Warren Beatty standing there in a tracksuit with angel wings behind him. Naturally, as a kid, I had no desire to see it as I was only interested in action, adventure, and sci-fi films so sitting down to watch this for the first time ever, I had no idea what to expect. But I was very pleasantly surprised. And entertained.
I think part of the reason is that most of the films I’ve seen Beatty in have always leaned towards the serious side; “Bonnie and Clyde,” “McCabe & Mrs. Miller,” “The Parallax View,” “Reds,” and “Bugsy,” so “Heaven Can Wait” was a nice revelation. Beatty plays Joe Pendleton, a backup quarterback for the American football team, the Los Angeles Rams. Days before the team is to play in the Superbowl, Joe is out riding his bike in the Hollywood Hills when he is involved in a car accident, and his soul is immediately plucked from his body seconds before impact with an oncoming van by his temperamental guardian angel.
Apparently, he panicked and jumped the gun, and according to his boss, the mysterious Mr. Jordan (James Mason), the guardian angel was supposed to wait until Joe collided with the vehicle before bringing him to the afterlife. When Joe refuses to believe his time is up, Mr. Jordan investigates and realizes that he was right, he wasn’t scheduled to die for many more years so the only way to work around this, is to find the body of a male the same age as Joe who is just about to die and once he passes, he will come to the afterlife and Joe will inhabit the body but he will cease to be Joe Pendleton and will assume his new identity.
That body is none other than Leo Farnsworth, a millionaire industrialist who cares about nobody but himself but as Joe begins to navigate the new Leo Farnsworth, those around him who always thought of him as a self-absorbed, contemptible ass, begin to see him in a new light. As he begins to shed his pretentious persona and starts paying attention to the needs of those in his life, his very existence begins to change, and he falls in love with Betty Logan (Julie Christie), an environmental activist who initially protested his corporate policies. But just as things begin to look up for him, Mr. Jordan reappears and throws a spanner into the works.
“Heaven Can Wait” is a fantasy-comedy that never takes itself too seriously and both Mr. Beatty and Ms. Christie share undeniable onscreen chemistry. The supporting cast, including James Mason, Jack Warden, Charles Grodin, Dyan Cannon, and Vincent Gardenia, are all at the top of their game, and combined, make a very entertaining screwball comedy, the likes that haven’t been seen in years.
Available on Blu-ray™ for the first time ever November 30th
