Heaven Can Wait: Blu-Ray Review
The 1978 comedy, Heaven Can Wait arrives on Blu-ray for the very first time this week and I am kind-of-surprised it took this long. The film was nominated for 9 Academy Awards, while winning only one for Best Art Direction. Co-directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry, the film was remake of 1941’s Here Comes Mr. Jordan, which itself was adapted from Harry Segall’s play. While I never saw the original, I grew up watching the 1978 version countless times on television.
While the original story centered on a boxer who was taken to heaven before he was meant to die, this update shifts from boxing to football. Joe Pendleton (Beatty) is on the verge of making a comeback as a quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams after recovering from an injury. Unfortunately, that comeback gets sidetracked when wet-behind-the-ears guardian angel on his first assignment brings Joe to Heaven without confirming his death from an accident. It turns out that it wasn’t Joe’s time. Normally with a mistake like this, Joe would be placed back into his body, but the problem is that his body was cremated and now, a new host must be found for Joe’s soul.
Joe can only be placed in a body that has recently died but not yet discovered by anyone. The angels find an adequate host with Leo Farnsworth, a wealthy businessman who was just murdered by his wife Julia (Dyan Cannon) and his personal secretary Tony Abbott (Charles Grodin). The two have also been having an affair with each other. While Joe isn’t too thrilled about getting this new body, main focus it to get it into shape in time for the Super Bowl. Since Farnsworth isn’t a not the team, Joe uses his access to money to buy the team and make himself the new Quarterback. It also helps that he was able to convince his friend and trainer Max (Jack Warden) that he is Joe, just in another body. Joe also happens to fall in love with environmental activist Betty Logan (Julie Christie) who was originally set out to stop Farnsworth from destroying her home, but thanks to Joe, those toxic environmental plans were scrapped, so he could focus on what was important to him, while also doing what he thought was right.
Heaven Can Wait hasn’t held up all that well over the past four decades but it’s still a relatively nice movie with a great cast. Charles Grodin is easily the funniest one here. There is also a sweet budding romance between Joe/Leo and Betty, which results in an ending that is both happy and sad. Fans of the film should be pleased with this release, as the HD transfer looks quite good.