Heaven Can Wait

**Heaven Can Wait** is a 1978 film starring Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, James Mason, Charles Grodin, Dyan Cannon, Buck Henry, Vincent Gardenia and Jack Warden, directed by Beatty and Henry, written by Elaine May and Beatty and produced by Beatty.

The film was a financial success as it generated a profit of $28 million.

## Plot

Joe Pendleton, a backup quarterback for the American football team Los Angeles Rams, is looking forward to leading his team to the Super Bowl. While riding his bicycle through the older west side of tunnel one on Kanan-Dume Road in Malibu, California,[4] an over-anxious guardian angel (known only as The Escort) on his first assignment sees Joe heading into the tunnel, and a large truck heading into the other end of the tunnel towards Joe and his bicycle. The Escort plucks Joe out of his body early in the mistaken belief that Joe was about to be killed. Pendleton immediately arrives in the afterlife.

Once there, he refuses to believe that his time was up, and upon investigation, the mysterious Mr. Jordan discovers that he is right: Joe was not destined to die until much later (10:17 am on March 20, 2025 to be exact). Unfortunately, his body has been cremated, so a new body must be found for him. After rejecting several possibilities of men who are about to die, Joe is persuaded to accept the body of a millionaire industrialist. Leo Farnsworth has just been drugged and drowned in his bathtub by his cheating wife Julia Farnsworth and her lover Tony Abbott, Farnsworth's personal secretary.

Julia and Tony are confused when Leo reappears alive and well. Leo's domestic staff are confused by the changes in some of his habits and tastes. Still obsessed with his football destiny, Leo buys the Rams to lead them to the Super Bowl as their quarterback. To succeed, he must first convince, and then secure the help of longtime friend and trainer Max Corkle to get his new body in shape. At the same time, he falls in love with Betty Logan, an environmental activist, whom he met when she came to his doorstep to protest the original Farnsworth's corporate policies.

With the Rams about to play in the Super Bowl, all the characters face a crisis. Mr. Jordan informs Farnsworth that he must give up this body as well. Farnsworth resists, but hints to Betty that she might someday meet someone else and should think of him. Julia and Abbott continue their murderous plans, and Abbott shoots Farnsworth dead. The Rams are forced to start Tom Jarrett, another quarterback in the climactic game. A detective, Lieutenant Krim, interrogates the suspects while they watch the game on television. With the help of Corkle, he gets Julia and Abbott to incriminate each other.

After a brutal hit on the field, Jarrett is killed. With Mr. Jordan's help, Joe then occupies his final body. He is shown snapping to life in Jarrett's body, then leading the Rams to victory. During the team's post-game celebration, Corkle finds Joe and asks “Is it you?” And hugs him.

As Joe is being interviewed on TV, Mr. Jordan tells him that to live as Tom Jarrett, he will have to lose the memories of his life as Joe Pendleton. As Mr. Jordan disappears, Tom/Joe seems disoriented. Corkle goes to find Joe later, and Is crestfallen to realize that Joe has “left” Tom. Jarrett bumps into Betty while leaving the stadium. They strike up a conversation, and each appears to recognize the other but they don’t know how. The lights go out in the stadium as they’re leaving, and Tom says something that reminds Betty of Farnsworth/Joe. This echoes earlier in the film when Joe had asked Betty to watch for and recognize something/someone in a stranger she might meet one day. Tom asks her to go with him for coffee and she accepts.