Heaven Can Wait. 1978. Directed by Warren Beatty, Buck Henry

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Heaven Can Wait. 1978. USA. Directed by Warren Beatty, Buck Henry. Courtesy Paramount Pictures

Heaven Can Wait. 1978. USA. Directed by Warren Beatty, Buck Henry. Screenplay by Elaine May, Beatty. With Beatty, Julie Christie, James Mason, Charles Grodin, Dyan Cannon, Buck Henry, Vincent Gardenia, Jack Warden. 4K digital restoration by Paramount; courtesy Paramount. 101 min.

On paper, a remake of the 1941 romantic fantasy film Here Comes Mr. Jordan would seem an anachronistic project for the grittiness and politically charged spirit of 1970s Hollywood. And yet, the story of a quarterback (Warren Beatty) who is mistakenly taken to heaven, only to return to Earth in the body of a murdered multimillionaire industrialist—now in love with an environmental activist (Julie Christie) and aiming to play in the Super Bowl—is a screwball fairy tale that simultaneously pays homage to classic Hollywood and playfully tweaks its formulas with a heartfelt appraisal of existential anxiety, love, and fear of death. Elaine May’s comic brilliance is very much present in a screenplay directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry, with priceless supporting performances by Jack Warden, Charles Grodin, and Dyan Cannon.

This film accompanies Paramount in the 1970s.

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