Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Heaven Can Wait Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 22, 2021

Warren Beaty shares directing duties with co-star Buck Henry in Heaven Can Wait, a charming 1978 film about life, death, love, football, and an overzealous angel who seems to muck up a life on the fast track to success but may have (presciently or inadvertently) put it on the right track after all. The film was nominated for a whopping nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, but took home only one win for its art direction. Still, it's a monumental accomplishment, and rightly deserved, for the film based on Harry Segall's play of the same name, which was also adapted into the 1941 film Here Comes Mr. Jordan.

Beatty stars as Joe Pendleton, quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams. He has a great arm, a winning attitude, and dedication to his craft and keeping his body in peak physical condition. He's close with his trainer Max Corkle (Jack Warden) and seems primed to lead the team to a Super Bowl victory. His dreams are dashed, however, when he's killed in a violent collision. He awakens to find himself at a misty "way station" between Earth and Heaven where he learns that he was indeed not to die in the accident; his overzealous angel (Buck Henry) jumped the gun, not realizing that Joe was destined not to merely survive the accident but rather to avoid it altogether. However, enough time has passed in this in-between world that back home Joe has been declared dead and cremated; he has no body to which he can return. However, he is given permission to inhabit the body of a recently deceased man and ultimately settles on the wealthy Mr. Farnsworth, a business tycoon whose was murdered by his wife Julia (Dyan Cannon) and her lover Tony Abbott (Charles Grodin). His overseas development projects have drawn the ire of European Betty Logan (Julie Christie). Joe, as Mr. Farnsworth, decides to right his host's wrongs and whip his new body into football shape so that he might have the chance to lead the Rams to the Super Bowl as Mr. Farnsworth. Along the way, he, as Farnsworth, develops feelings for Julia, and the feelings are mutual.

This is a delightfully charming picture that takes pleasure in the simple things in life, even as the story can become complicated by human understanding. Through all of Joe's confusion, a new identity, and a new world, he adapts quickly and so does the audience as his story takes shape off the field and more in his heart. The story allows Joe to focus on something more than his football bubble; before his untimely "demise," Joe was laser focused on his body and the game. Though he has not lost his passion for the game and his drive to play at the highest level -- as Farnsworth he buys the Rams so he might play in the big game -- he finds a different part of himself, an essence that extends beyond the physical body: he finds his soul and, metaphorically since the real one was cremated, his heart.

The film nicely balances tenderness and humor to fine effect. The script is well rounded. It's witty but also takes its time to build serious characterization both for Joe (as both the Farnsworth shell and as his own essence) and for those around him. His relationship with Betty develops naturally and fully, vital in the audience buying the films final few minutes, and Joe's relationship with his trainer Max offers a stability and connection between Joe's past life and his present circumstances. Julia and Abbot may be caricatures more so than fully defined flesh and blood, but they are a necessary contrast to the new Joe who is more dimensional than he used to be and certainly more than his wife and her lover. The cast is uniformly excellent, as is the writing and direction. The film was well deserving of its accolades and awards season nominations.

Heaven Can Wait Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount may have been late to the game bringing Heaven Can Wait to Blu-ray, but maybe that's a good thing because the image looks very good. The 1080p presentation is practically without flaw. The print is meticulous and grain is generally pleasing if not a little less than fully organic (watch for some globular movements with moving characters when Joe Pendleton first arrives at the "way station" at the nine minute mark). Still, there are no signs of seriously damaging noise reduction, and in fact details hold quite sharp and organically filmic for the duration. The picture is impressive for clarity and definition at all times, whether on the football field or particularly in the resplendently furnished Farnsworth estate where there's no shortage of delightful appointments and odds and ends to soak in. Facial definition is terrific and hairs are presented with nearly countable individuality. Colors are bold and satisfying, notably the Rams' blue and yellow colors (not to mention the green turf and the red quarterback practice jerseys; the football scenes are amongst the best looking in the movie). Around the Farnsworth estate, additional greens delight outside and a variety of warm woods inside are offset by scattered examples of rich clothing colors that leap off the screen. Color temperature is neutral. Blacks are satisfyingly deep, whites are crisp and bright, and skin tones are healthy. There are no real print flaws or encode flubs to report. This one looks very, very good.

Heaven Can Wait Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Heaven Can Wait's Dolby TrueHD 2.0 mono soundtrack is not exactly divine, but the rather straightforward presentation suits the film well enough and respects the limitations of the original source material. The track offers generally well defined music with a fair sense of front spacing, though the channels don't exactly stretch the front all that far. Ambient effects are rather limited to background fill but the crowd din at the Super Bowl towards film's end does struggle with clarity, leaving the mass of audio sounding more like a chunky morass rather than a well defined and realistic experience. Dialogue images well enough to the middle and clarity is generally fine, but there is an unmistakable metallic, shallow sound during a grilling of various people close to Farnsworth around the 83 minute mark. There's not a lot here to tickle the aural senses but as straightforward tracks of a classic vintage go this one is certainly very passable.

Heaven Can Wait Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, this Blu-ray release of Heaven Can Wait includes no supplemental content. A digital copy of the film is included with purchase. A DVD is not. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

Heaven Can Wait Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Movie fans shouldn't wait to see Heaven Can Wait. This is a splendid little film about life, death, and meaning. It's extraordinarily assembled from both ends of the camera, yielding an infinitely watchable picture that is one of the best of Warren Beatty's career. Paramount's Blu-ray is disappointingly devoid of any and all supplemental content. The video is very strong and the audio, while no great shakes in the grand scheme of things (and problematic in a couple of brief spots) serves the film just fine. Recommended.