--- title: "Heaven Can Wait: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/heaven-can-wait/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/heaven-can-wait" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Heaven Can Wait (1978): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 7 reviews: 5 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like it, and the praise clusters on the cast and the writing. Variety and Roger Ebert are the warmest, admiring the confident direction and a script that keeps the sweetness of the 1941 original while adding sharper digs at greed and corporate life. The New York Times finds considerable charm and a marvellous cast even where it sees no great style, and several reviews single out the supporting players, Charles Grodin and Dyan Cannon in particular, as the reliable pleasures. The reservations are about the script and the tone. Time Out is the lone outright dissenter, calling it a soggy, uncertain remake with a thin script, and faulting the pacing and Julie Christie’s comic timing. Collider is mixed, finding it mostly entertaining on charisma alone but awkward in its swing between broad comedy and sentiment. The spread is wide, from warm to hostile, and the later reviews are cooler than those written on release. ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1977. The review declares it an outstanding film that returns the fantasy comedy-drama in an updated, slightly more macabre treatment. It singles out the strong script and direction for providing a rich mix of controlled visual and verbal humor. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1977/film/reviews/heaven-can-wait-2-1200424243/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 1978. The critic finds the premise of the 1941 film holds up well in this remake, combining the original's sweetness with its own satirical bite. He singles out the confident co-direction and the screenplay's mean digs at greed and corporate politics for praise. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/heaven-can-wait-1978) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2020. The critic notes the film's commercial success despite production challenges and highlights its winning charm and strong supporting cast as standout elements. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/warren-beatty-scored-an-unlikely-hit-with-a-comedy-abou-1844069357) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 28 June 1978. The review calls the film a hybrid of no great style but of considerable charm, with a marvelous cast. It singles out the screenplay's witty moments and the easy gravity brought by Beatty and Christie for praise while noting it struggles to escape its source material. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1978/06/28/archives/a-film-by-beattya-remake-of-1941.html) ## The New Yorker — Penelope Gilliatt Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 July 1978. The critic notes the writing is sometimes loopy and brainy and praises the fine leitmotiv about hats along with the splendid casting of Dyan Cannon. The overall verdict is positive on the film's execution of its reincarnation premise. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1978/07/10/life-2) ## Time Out — GB Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic finds the film a soggy and uncertain remake of Here Comes Mr Jordan, with a thin script that fails to deliver on its whimsical premise despite contributions from Elaine May and Buck Henry. Praise goes to Charles Grodin’s performance, while the overall pacing and Julie Christie’s comic timing are faulted. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/heaven-can-wait-1) ## Collider — Liam Gaughan Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2021. The review places Heaven Can Wait fourth among Warren Beatty's directorial efforts. It calls the film mostly entertaining due to the cast's charisma, particularly Charles Grodin, while noting an awkward blend of tones between broad comedy and sentimentality. [Read the review](https://collider.com/warren-beatty-directed-movies-ranked/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/heaven-can-wait.md