Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Flick Pick: Heaven Can Wait

Heaven Can Wait
(Paramount, 1978)

Wonderful and perfect tale, itself an artful remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, this time brilliantly co-directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry. Beatty dazzles in every scene, the comedy infusion by Henry, and Elaine May, permeates everything, and the cast was simply marvelous. Jack Warden as the only guy in on the gag was perfection. Julie Christie in her prime is angelic; James Mason is the supervising angel we all hope we get to meet us on the other side, and Dyan Cannon and Charles Grodin pull off some of the most screamingly funny comic moments in film history with the skills of burglars, stealing every scene they're in. In all, the movie was nominated for ten Oscars, from Best Picture downwards, every one of them well-deserved, but winning only for Art Direction.

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