Heaven Can Wait
Joe Pendleton... the only guy who ever raised Hell about going to Heaven.
1978 | 101m | English
Popularity: 7 (history)
| Director: | Warren Beatty, Buck Henry |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Warren Beatty, Elaine May |
| Staring: |
| Joe Pendleton is a quarterback preparing to lead his team to the superbowl when he is almost killed in an accident. An overanxious angel plucks him to heaven only to discover that he wasn't ready to die, and that his body has been cremated. A new body must be found, and that of a recently-murdered millionaire is chosen. His wife and accountant—the murderers—are confused by this development, as he buys the L.A. Rams in order to once again quarterback them into the Superbowl. | |
| Release Date: | Jun 28, 1978 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Warren Beatty, Buck Henry |
| Writer: | Warren Beatty, Elaine May |
| Genres: | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance |
| Keywords | afterlife, remake, super bowl, sports, based on play or musical, quarterback, infidelity, american football, los angeles, california, environmental activist |
| Production Companies | Paramount Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $98,800,000
Budget: $15,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 (Update) Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Warren Beatty | Joe Pendleton |
| Julie Christie | Betty Logan |
| James Mason | Mr. Jordan |
| Jack Warden | Max Corkle |
| Charles Grodin | Tony Abbott |
| Dyan Cannon | Julia Farnsworth |
| Buck Henry | The Escort |
| Vincent Gardenia | Krim |
| Joseph Maher | Sisk |
| Hamilton Camp | Bentley |
| Arthur Malet | Everett |
| Stephanie Faracy | Corinne |
| Jeannie Linero | Lavinia |
| Harry D.K. Wong | Gardener |
| George J. Manos | Security Guard |
| Larry Block | Peters |
| Frank Campanella | Conway |
| Bill Sorrells | Tomarken |
| Dick Enberg | TV Interviewer |
| Dolph Sweet | Head Coach |
| R.G. Armstrong | General Manager |
| Ed Peck | Trainer |
| John Randolph | Former Owner |
| Richard O'Brien | Advisor to Former Owner |
| Joseph F. Makel | Haitian Ambassador |
| Will Hare | Team Doctor |
| Lee Weaver | Way Station Attendant |
| Roger Bowen | Newspaperman |
| Keene Curtis | Oppenheim |
| William Larsen | Renfield |
| Morgan Farley | Middleton |
| William Bogert | Lawson |
| Robert E. Leonard | Board Member |
| Joel Marston | Board Member |
| Earl Montgomery | Board Member |
| Robert C. Stevens | Board Member |
| Bernie Massa | Coliseum Security Guard |
| Peter Tomarken | Reporter |
| William Sylvester | Nuclear Reporter |
| Lisa Blake Richards | Woman Reporter |
| Charlie Charles | Highwire Performer |
| Nick Outin | Chauffeur |
| Jerry Scanlan | Hodges |
| Jim Boeke | Kowalsky |
| Marvin Fleming | Gudnitz |
| Deacon Jones | Gorman |
| Les Josephson | Owens |
| Jack Snow | Cassidy |
| Curt Gowdy | TV Commentator |
| Al DeRogatis | TV Color Analyst |
| Benjie Bancroft | Reporter (uncredited) |
| Arline Bletcher | Woman in Line (uncredited) |
| Charlie Cowan | Football Player (uncredited) |
| Garrett Craig | Swimmer (uncredited) |
| Paul D'Amato | Swimmer's Friend (uncredited) |
| Robert Fortier | Wealthy Man in Restaurant (uncredited) |
| Allan Graf | Football Player (uncredited) |
| Bryant Gumbel | TV Sportscaster (uncredited) |
| Jim Healy | TV Sportscaster (uncredited) |
| Chick Hearn | Radio Announcer (uncredited) |
| Ray Pourchot | Board Member (uncredited) |
| Nick Raymond | Reporter (uncredited) |
| Elliott Reid | Waiter (uncredited) |
| Byron Webster | Waiter (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Don Zimmerman | Editor |
| Robert C. Jones | Editor |
| Harry Segall | Theatre Play |
| Theadora Van Runkle | Costume Design |
| Richard Bruno | Costume Design |
| George Gaines | Set Decoration |
| Lee Harman | Makeup Artist |
| Lynda Gurasich | Hairstylist |
| Milton Lustig | Music Editor |
| Richard Oswald | Sound Effects Editor |
| Charles H. Maguire | Unit Production Manager |
| Craig Huston | Second Assistant Director |
| Edwin O'Donovan | Art Direction |
| Tom Overton | Sound Mixer |
| John Wilkinson | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Karen Hale Wookey | Script Supervisor |
| Sam Bernstein | Production Accountant |
| Alan Levine | Property Master |
| Nick McLean | Camera Operator |
| Peter Sorel | Still Photographer |
| Doug Pentek | Gaffer |
| Art Brooker | Key Grip |
| Patricia Mock | Casting |
| R.A. MacDonald | Special Effects |
| Wayne Fitzgerald | Title Designer |
| Robert Samuels | Second Assistant Camera |
| Warren Beatty | Screenplay, Director |
| Elaine May | Screenplay |
| Dave Grusin | Original Music Composer |
| William A. Fraker | Director of Photography |
| Buck Henry | Director |
| Paul Sylbert | Production Design |
| Dick Ziker | Stunts |
| Hawk Koch | Assistant Director |
| Robert Towne | Additional Writing |
| Craig R. Baxley | Stunt Coordinator, Second Unit Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Charles H. Maguire | Executive Producer |
| Warren Beatty | Producer |
| Hawk Koch | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
| Golden Globes | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
| Golden Globes | Best Supporting Actress | Dyan Cannon | Nominated |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Director | Buddy Ebsen | Nominated |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Durning | Nominated |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 16 | 25 | 12 |
| 2024 | 5 | 17 | 25 | 10 |
| 2024 | 6 | 15 | 29 | 9 |
| 2024 | 7 | 16 | 32 | 10 |
| 2024 | 8 | 17 | 26 | 10 |
| 2024 | 9 | 13 | 19 | 8 |
| 2024 | 10 | 16 | 30 | 8 |
| 2024 | 11 | 16 | 38 | 9 |
| 2024 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 8 |
| 2025 | 1 | 13 | 25 | 9 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 861 | 861 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12 | 519 | 682 |
Maybe Warren Beatty was also a fan of Powell & Pressburger as this has shades of "Matter of Life and Death" (1946) to it. Rather than a fighter pilot though, it's quarter-back "Joe" (Beatty) who is erroneously selected to take the Concorde to heaven. He protests to supremo "Jordan" (James Mason) who ... discovers that his new charge is still supposed to have another fifty-odd years with his mortal coil. OK, let's just put him back. Ah, well no - he has already been cremated. That's just one jigsaw puzzle too much, even for the celestial. "Jordan" decides that he can borrow the body of someone next in the queue, and he settles on millionaire industrialist "Farnsworth". This man has more enemies that he'd care to count, not least his scheming wife (Dyan Cannon) and the pesky British campaigner "Betty" (Julie Christie) who is adamant that her local village isn't going to be demolished to make way for an oil refinery. Now safely ensconced his new body, he only has thoughts of going back to playing ball - only now he can afford to actually buy a team. Re-uniting with coach "Max" (Jack Warden) whom he manages to convince of his true identity, we now embark on a gentle comedy that extols the virtues of team building and environmentally aware business practice. Cannon steals this as the plotting spouse, but Mason doesn't really make much impact and otherwise it's all just a rather blandly predictable offering that has it's moments but just not enough of them. Watchable, though, on a wet afternoon if it's on the telly.