Review of Heaven Can Wait (1978) by Samurai F — 26 Mar 2007

This film has heart and comedy gold in Charles Grodin. Warren Beatty is just the nicest guy in the world and has that kind of innocent charm in this that tom hanks used to specialise in. BUt Grodin's the star of this, not nominally but in every other way.

He steals every scene he's in, as the assistant trying to kill Beatty. The thing is it also seems like he's in love with him. And he gets classic lines. reporter: your nuclear plant in San Francisco has been reported as capable of destroying the northern region of California".

Grodin: " you'd have to define destroy". I dont even know if it has the same effect in text form, but coming from Grodin it is magnificent. The film in general is a rom-com I guess but with a 70's feel to it,meaning it goes at its own pace, not rushing anything and allowing characters to breathe and moments to happen, or exist.

Compare to any modern comedy, where it's all about the set-up and efficient execution, where the conversations always seem scripted and part of a point of structure that leads us from one point to another.

IN this film scenes last forever at times, and they follow on from previous scenes without a change in time or location. I hope this is making sense....So Beatty and Grodin make a good pair, the comedy is gold, and Julie Christies hair is ludicrous.

BUt the director is astute enough not to let her hair overwhelm the whole film. Actually Beatty usually has pretty big hair, but he tones it down in this film, trimming it back to reveal more of his head.

one last thing, I think this is the film they remade with chris rock recently. I wonder what that was like....