Heaven Can Wait/Defending Your Life [2 Discs] [DVD]

This Double Feature Set of Heaven Can Wait and Defending Your Life appears to touch more on upper class living on earth and having an upper class experience in heaven (more on the explanation in a little bit). This is important because in comparison, the City of Angels and the Michael films (which are also good) focus more on middle class living as it intersects spirituality. For instance, Heaven Can Wait involves a man named Joe Pendleton (Warren Beatty) who unexpectedly dies at a young age and definitely wasn’t emotionally ready to go. It turns out that one of the angels in the heaven’s celestial escort group named Mr. Jordan agreed with him (James Mason) ( because Pendleton’s death date was originally given to be March 20,2025). One of the angels (Buck Henry) had accidently pulled Pendleton’s spirit from his body before he was meant to go. The first part of what gives Heaven Can Wait an upper class feel was that he was at first supposed to board a what looks to be a pristine model airplane in one of the waystations of heaven to his final destination. The other element that gives Heaven Can Wait an opulent feel is the lifestyle that Pendleton is allowed to re-incarnate back into while the celestial life escort groups figures out how to deal with his destiny. Pendleton is allowed to incarnate in the body of a multi-millionaire named Leo Farnsworth who was the target of a murder attempt by his wife Julia Farnsworth (Dyan Cannon) and her lover and one of Farnsworth employees Tony Abbott (Charles Grodin). Pendleton unexpectedly starts to enjoy his new life as Leo Farnsworth and even falls in love with a woman named Betty Logan (Julie Christie). Being the kind spirit he is, Pendleton does not even kick his wife out after the murder attempt. However, the movie does foreshadow what could happen because Pendleton is shown trying to bargain with the angels on extending his life especially now that he wants to be around for Betty Logan and he has discovered a renewed passion for his life after finding and convincing Max Corkle (Jack Warden) to help him get back into the NFL. The only catch is that I did not see any dvd extras associated with Heaven Can Wait although there are audio options in English or French. As for the Defending Your Life, I remember having the good fortune of first discovering and watching this movie in 2014. I caught so much more out of Defending Your Life the second time I watched it and the Defending Your Life Dvd does have some extras (but first my interpretation of the movie). Albert Brooks plays the part of Daniel Miller, a successful Los Angeles ad executive who unexpectedly dies in a car crash after colliding with a bus. Before his surprise death, the movie opened with glimpses of the successful and accomplished life that he was living. Daniel Miller finds himself in a gorgeous sunny afterlife called Judgement City where there is so much to do (golf courses, bowling alleys, comedy clubs) and he could eat the best food and however much he wants damage free to his physical body. He stays inside the Continental Hotel and sees ads in an elevator that I noticed this time, but missed last time such as for the International Planetarium with the slogan the universe as it really is by Dr. Theodore Mcallister with shows at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 (and a picture of what looks to be the space or galaxy of either a shooting comet or shooting star). There is also the ad of the Judgement City’s oldest comedy club one block east of towne center. Daniel Miller’s time in Judgement City is not all leisure because he is called to meet Bob Diamond (Rip Torn) who explains that he has to appear before a panel of judges to determine if he is ready to move on the next phase involving his spiritual development. The panel includes 2 judges (George D. Wallace and Lillian Lehman) and a person named Lena Foster (Lee Grant)who questions Daniel Miller if he overcame his fear enough. In the midst of it all, Daniel Miller unexpectedly falls in love with a self-confident and warm woman named Julia (Meryl Streep). Julia’s time on earth earned her a stay at the Majestic Hotel. She too has to go through the judgement chambers, but seems to easily be more relaxed about whatever happens. The develop a mutual romantic attraction to each other and have a chance to spend some time together. One of my favorite parts of the movie was where they got together on one of the buses in Judgement city after their shared time at the Past lives pavilion. One of Daniel Millers past lives as a dressmaker intersected with one of Julia’s lives as a tailor (played with the idea in a fun way on how who you spend your future lives traces very much to both recent and/or past lives). I also like the scene where it was described really well on what their idea of overcoming fear is (in a scene where Daniel Miller meant to ask his boss for at least $65,000 per year but accepted $49,000 instead). Additionally, the scene where Miller passed up an investment opportunity in casio watches that could have turned his ten thousand dollars into at least 37 million dollars unexpectedly made me think of maybe the connection between my life and the things that I may have been unconsciously investing in. There is so much more I got out of this movie just after the second time of seeing it (and I’m glad to been able to finally buy it), but I intuitively and logically feel that it is time to move on to the bonuses; An image featuring the Judgement City Bowling Lane (the slogan of come bowl with us you’ll have a ball with 36 lanes open for 24 hours) the cast and crew listing to Defending Your life, and subtitles available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, there are also various celebrity cameo appearances attributed to this film; Shirley Maclaine, James Eckhouse, Buck Henry, Glen Chin etc. Each of the movies (Heaven Can Wait and Defending Your Life) have their own disc (which culminates in a two disc set).