Heaven Can Wait

source: Heaven Can Wait

Trailer—Heaven Can Wait

Heaven Can Wait

...that stands the test of time. This was immediately one of my favorite films when I first saw it in 1982, at age 13. I decided to pick it up when I saw it's recent release on DVD and I am still not disappointed in the film. I am not a Warren Beatty fan by any stretch of the imagination, but this is a classic...and Charles Grodin comes very close to stealing the entire show. Highly recommended. The last 15 minutes of this film move the heck out of me, every time. I generally gravitate toward the "average" mark in rating movies, but this, in my opinion, rates a 9/10....I liked it quite a bit better than "The Deer Hunter", which won the Best Picture Oscar for 1978.

Rent this movie with someone you love- it's the one that started it all. (Even thought it's a remake, itself) Buck Henry did a fabulous job with this film. He also wrote The Graduate, by the way, and there are gentle subversive moments in this film as well. I won't spoil them for you, just watch for yourself. Warren Beaty has never been so charming, and that's saying a lot, and Jack Warden just about walks away with the film. Forget GHOST, go right to HEAVEN CAN WAIT. You won't be sorry.

6.9 is not a terrible score on here, but for a movie of this quality it is a shame. I very rarely have given a film a 9 and it is very unusual for me to give a higher than average score. This was my favorite movie when I was a kid and when I saw it again recently I was just as impressed as an adult. The cast was excellent and they managed to evoke much emotion out of a fairy tale like story. One of the few remakes worthy of discussion. I would consider this a must see for anyone who has any kind of feelings whatsoever.

I couldn't think of any other way to describe it in the summary - so I used the word "classy". That's right, classy. It probably stems from the fact that the movie is done in such good taste - very appealing and witty humor. The entire cast does an absolutely perfect job in this movie. From Warren Beatty, to James Mason (is James Mason physically capable of putting in a bad performance ? ), to Buck Henry, to Jack Warden. Perhaps the two best performances are Charles Grodin (the slimy personal assistant to Leo Farnsworth),and Dyan Cannon as the psycho Julia Farnsworth. They are both brilliant in their roles. Very worth watching. Also worth more than its IMDB 6.9 rating.

I agree with one of the reviewers - Heaven Can Wait deserves more than a 6.9 rating because it's a fine movie that is timeless in its spirit and message. Warren Beatty should have won an Oscar for his role (he was nominated, along with Jack Warden and Dyan Cannon for their impressive performances). Anyway, he co-directed this with Buck Henry (who was a delight in The Blues Brothers). The ending was incredibly emotional and I wonder what could have been and will become of the Beatty and Christie characters. It plays on the mind, and I especially liked the scene where the stadium lights gradually go out.

I just about fell out of my chair when I saw that this film only got a 6.8. This is a light entertainment classic and Beatty has never been better suited for a role. The dream supporting cast includes Dyan Cannon, Jack Warden, James Mason, Buck Henry, Charles Grodin, Vincent Gardenia ... and all are at the top of their game. Julie Christie's character (as the love interest) seems, at first glance, to be a bit underwritten, but her scenes with Beatty linger in the memory - especially the ending where Beatty, in a new body with his memory wiped out, sees this beautiful woman in the bowels of a deserted football stadium and struggles to remember what she meant to him. Growing up, I seem to recall that CBS or some major network used to show this once every year and it was hyped as a big event (this was just before the explosion of cable). I never got tired of watching it each year and it still holds up remarkably well.

This film is entertaining. I like Warren in this film, and the script is crazy enough that it works. There is a message about hope in this film, and we all need hope. Some parts of the film can be so funny, I like how they end it. This film ties all the lose ends up nicely. I remember the 78 and 79 Rams those were pretty good teams. 7 or 8 out of ten.