Heaven Can Wait

1978
PG
1h 41m

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

24K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer3:21

Body Swap Comedy Football High-Concept Comedy Supernatural Fantasy Comedy Fantasy Romance Sport

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.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.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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

24K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

3,359

1,502

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 9 wins & 14 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 3:21

Trailer

Photos66

+ 60

More like this

6.4

7.3

6.8

7.3

6.8

7.5

Here Comes Mr. Jordan

Heaven Can Wait

7.3

Coming Home

7.6

On Golden Pond

7.1

An Officer and a Gentleman

7.1

The Big Chill

6.8

Working Girl

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
The first choice for Mr. Jordan was Cary Grant who reportedly turned down a US $1-million offer from Warren Beatty. Website Wikipedia states: "Beatty lobbied hard for Cary Grant to accept the role of Mr. Jordan, going so far as to have Grant's ex-wife, Dyan Cannon, who stars as Julia Farnsworth, urge him to take the part. Although Grant was tempted, he ultimately decided not to end his retirement from filmmaking". The Turner Classic Movies website states: "Beatty had some grandiose notions about who should play Mr. Jordan . . . He wanted Cary Grant . . . but Grant had retired a dozen years earlier, and had no interest in returning to the screen". Beatty also considered former Senator and 1968 anti-war Democrat presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy for the part prior to James Mason in the end being cast as Mr. Jordan.

Goofs
The boom mic can be seen when Joe comes down the staircase.

Quotes
Former owner: He got my team. The son of a bitch got my team.
Advisor to former owner: What kind of pressure did he use, Milt?
Former owner: Well, I asked for sixty-seven million, and he said "okay."
Advisor to former owner: Ruthless bastard.

Connections
Featured in Sneak Previews: Special Edition: Grease, Jaws 2, Animal House, Heaven Can Wait & The Best and Worst of 1978 (1979)

Soundtracks
Sonata No 3, Movement 4
Written by George Frideric Handel (as G.F. Handel)
Performed by Paul Brodie and Antonin Kubalek
Courtesy of Golden Crest Records

User reviews136

Review

Featured review

8/10

Football Fairy Tale

I too was surprised that this film received a not-much-better than average rating. I am not a huge fan of Beatty, but I think he plays his role in this movie perfectly, running rampant through the lives of his unfaithful wife and private secretary (Charles Grodin couldn't be better), and his former coach. Joe Pendleton is so sweet and earnest that he deserve a happy, fairy-tale ending. I don't think the script ever descends into sappiness and there is a fine ensemble cast. I laugh out loud still, even though I have seen the movie several times, and I still get a bit teary-eyed at the end. This film deserves better!