A genteel comedy of manners as, in applying for entry into Hell, a non-repentant womaniser recounts his life to The Devil himself.
Wealthy and privileged, the Manhattan Van Cleves dote on only son, Henry (Don Ameche). Used to getting what he wants, Henry meets and woos Martha (Gene Tierney), fiancée of obnoxious snob of a cousin, Albert (Allyn Joslyn). Encouraged by his grandfather (Charles Coburn), Henry sweeps Martha off her feet, much to the concern of her Kansas industrialist parents. Years go by and a rocky but constant marriage unfolds, even if Henry is not always faithful to his devoted wife.
A representative example of its time – the caddish but charming male and his selfish behaviour towards family – that lacks the sharpness and chemistry of more successful features of the time, Heaven Can Wait is a pleasant indulgence, but little more.
Nominated for 3 Oscars in 1944 – best film, director, cinematography
Rating: 57%
Director: Ernst Lubitsch (To Be or Not To Be, The Shop Around the Corner)
Writer: Samson Raphaelson (Suspicion, The Shop Around the Corner) – based on the play by Laszlo Bush-Fekete
Main cast: Gene Tierney (Laura, Leave Her to Heaven), Don Ameche (Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Cocoon), Charles Coburn (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The More the Merrier)
An Opinion or Two 