HotToastyRag Heaven Can Wait is not a remake of the 1943 Heaven Can Wait, but it is a remake of 1941's Here Comes Mr. Jordan, starring Robert Montgomery and Claude Rains, so if you want to see the original, make sure you rent the right movie. Both films have the same story: a young man is taken prematurely up to Heaven, but since it was a mistake and he wasn't supposed to die for decades, the angel Mr. Jordan sends him back to Earth in another man's body. For the sake of the audience's confusion, the actor stays the same, but it's made clear that everyone else in the movie sees him as the other "new" man. If you think about it, it's really not fair. He may have an extension of life, but he's placed in another man's surroundings, with another man's reputation, house, and wife.Warren Beatty stars in the remake, and while he's more likable and gorgeous than Robert Montgomery, there's still the question hanging above everyone's heads in the movie: Why was this remade? Since the changes are so minimal from the original, and since there are so many other "God made a mistake" movies out there, why was it necessary to make such a direct remake? The two women in Warren's "new" life are Dyan Cannon and Julie Christie, but neither are very easy to root for. Dyan is clearly the villain, and Julie is an outrageous, obnoxious protester, but if you're only in it for the eye candy, you could do a lot worse. James Mason plays the angel Mr. Jordan, and while he adds enormous class and maturity to the film, he's not sufficiently different from Claude Rains to have justified a remake.

Parker Lewis 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.

disinterested_spectator This movie is a remake of another movie that was so dumb it should never have been made once, let alone twice. You might think the original version was "Heaven Can Wait" (1943), on account of the fact that it has the same title, but that is actually a different movie. Both movies with that title have something to do with dying and going to Heaven, and both movies are comedies that are not very funny, but that is about all they have in common. The present movie is actually a remake of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" (1941).Now, all that one asks of a comedy is that it be funny. If it makes you laugh, that is all that counts, no matter how ridiculous the plot may be. But when a comedy is not funny, and yet it keeps insisting that you are supposed to be laughing at one silly scene after another, there is little one can do but think about the plot until it is finally over. In this case, the plot is exasperating. Joe Pendleton is a quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams. He is hit by a car and is mistakenly whisked away to Heaven. It is discovered by Mr. Jordan, an authority in Heaven, that Joe was not supposed to die. Unfortunately, his body has already been cremated, so they have to find him another one to take its place.When Joe realizes what is going on, his big concern is whether he will be able to play football again. Football? He has just found out that all that stuff about God and Heaven is true, and he's worried about football? How could you possibly care about worldly goods when you know the secret of Eternity? Now, if I had just found out that I was in Heaven, I would be thrilled to discover that my soul was immortal. But if I subsequently found out that I was going to have to go back to earth in another body, my question to Mr. Jordan would be, "Is there a Hell, and if so, what do I need to do to stay out of it?" There is no more important question in this world or the next than that one.Assuming that there is a Hell, then having been sent back to earth in whatever body I was given, I would not be worried about football. I would immediately give all my worldly goods to the poor, turn the other cheek if struck, and absolutely, positively never look at a woman with lust in my heart again. Yeah, I know. At the end of the movie, Joe's memory of dying and going to Heaven is erased. But for the better part of the movie, he does remember all that Heaven stuff, and yet all he cares about is football (and a woman named Betty, whom he probably lusts after).As I said, if the movie were funny, all would be forgiven. Or, if the movie had been worthy in other ways, one might overlook this absurdity of caring about something like football when you know that Eternity hangs in the balance. For example, in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), George Bailey finds out that all that stuff about God and Heaven is true too. Right then George should have said, "Oh Wow! That takes all the pressure off. Wait till I tell Mary the good news. Even if I do go to jail, everything will be fine when Mary and I die and we go to Heaven." He doesn't say this to himself, but we are willing to overlook the way George seems oblivious to his newfound knowledge of Eternity, because it is otherwise such a good movie.But "Heaven Can Wait," just like the original version on which it was based, is not a good movie, is not funny, and thus its preposterous plot deserves the ridicule I have just subjected it to.

Blueghost Films like this used to get made a lot. It was mildly heavy here and there, but it was a kind of comedy that dealt into the "what if hereafter" genre. Beatty stars as a would all-star quarterback who is given a setback (of sorts). Mason heads up a small team of "helpers" who try to put him back on track, only they wind up screwing things up in an even bigger way.Things sort of work out, but to find out how you have to see the film. Julie Christie, Dyane Cannon, Jack Warden and Charles Grodin create an all star cast to bring to us the tale of a man who is waiting for the idiots who put him in his predicament the okay to move on.It's a kind of rebirth story, only Beatty's Joe Pendleton doesn't have any issues regarding his health or social stature. He is truly the victim of poor circumstance. This is a somewhat slow paced adult comedy. The jokes aren't fired at you from all quarters. The film actually lets you have some time to digest what is happening so you can better absorb and appreciate the situation presented.To me this is an adult film meant to be enjoyed by mature people. And by that I don't mean sex. I mean this is old fashioned film making telling a kind of old fashioned story of a man getting a second chance. You don't see films like this much anymore. Or rather all of the serious adult films these days are low budget artistic efforts, about affairs, or are filled with teenage raunch humor; i.e. kids and adults who stayed kids enjoy the big budget stuff these days. "Heaven Can Wait" was meant for a different audience for a different time. I miss both that kind of film making and that kind of audience. They will never return at this rate, but one can always hope.I'll reserve judgment on the personalities involved in this film. Each has their own set of problems in the limelight. But the art they've created here is worthy of viewing.Enjoy.