Le ciel peut attendre

This remake of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" has many felicitous moments, foremost among them the performance of the half Jewish/half Irish actor, Jack Warden, as the trainer "Max," a role for which he was justifiably nominated for an Oscar for the best supporting actor. Warden is best remembered for his serious roles --he was one of the jurors in "Twelve Angry Man" and the editor in "All The President's Men" -- but he was a superb comic actor who in the tradition of all great clowns played the most absurd moments with the greatest seriousness. One of the funniest encounter scenes in all film, right up there with the great Jack Benny/Sig Rumann meeting in "To Be or Not To Be," is the moment in this film where Warren Beaty in the body of another man (Fransworth) tries to convince his old pal Warden that he is indeed the football player Joe Pendelton. Warden's reactions, his business with the cigarette lighter, and his final acceptance of Beatty's explanation are alone worth the time it takes to watch this slightly overlong film.

I remember as a kid, I loved this movie. I had seen it in the theatre and liked it so much I saw it again! I think the appeal here is the same as in many of these types of films-it's a sweet whimsical fairytale of a movie that is pure entertainment but manages to be lovely without being corny at the same time.

There aren't to many movies like this around now. Of coarse, not having seen this since I was a child who knows whether I'd still be such a fan but at that time, I wept buckets and since it was one of the first films that I saw that stuck with me, I have fond memories of it.

People shouldn't put this movie down for realism or not having realism etc. It's a fantasy type movie. It's the type of movie you know your wtavhing a movie while you watch it but you cry anyway! I don't think this movie can be dismissed as being lightweight or unimportant. Where would film be without romance? This is up there in that category and many I know feel the same. It's a breath of fresh air and should be seen by anyone who likes warm sentimental (yeah OK sappy!!) movies!

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!

Enjoyable "It's a Wonderful Life"-styled remake of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan", a memorable and sometimes forgotten production from 1941. An over-zealous angel (Buck Henry) takes the quarterback of the Los Angeles Rams (Oscar-nominee Warren Beatty) before his time. Naturally the body is cremated and Henry has to find Beatty another one. Beatty is then re-incarnated as a recently murdered billionaire. This development confuses the billionaire's two-timing wife (Oscar-nominee Dyan Cannon) and accountant (Charles Grodin, also Cannon's lover). Beatty promptly purchases his former team and makes himself the quarterback with aspirations of leading his club to the Super Bowl and winning it. Also along for the ride is the love interest (the always excellent Julie Christie) and the hard-nosed head trainer (priceless Oscar-nominee Jack Warden). "Heaven Can Wait" is a film that teaches about love, compassion, friendship and good moral values. Co-writer/co-director Beatty (nominated in both categories) is the primary catalyst here. His ability as a film-maker raises the movie to a near classic level. Admittedly the production never does quite reach the greatness of films of the type from the 1940s, but still ends up being one of the major winners from the 1970s. Co-star Henry shared a directing nomination with Beatty. Is it just me or do you miss having the Rams in Los Angeles? 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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.