10:17am on 20th March 2025.

The date and time that Warren Beatty’s character Joe Pendleton is scheduled to die in the 1978 film ‘Heaven Can Wait’.

Today is the day. Now is the time in fact!

‘Heaven Can Wait’ is quite a strange film. Starring Beatty alongside the likes of Julie Christie, James Mason and Buck Henry, it tells the story of an American footballer named Joe Pendleton who almost dies, but is taken to heaven by an over-eager administrator. Having never supposed to leave Earth, he is given a second chance at life as a rich industrial called Leo Farnsworth, who himself is due to die imminently following an attempted murder by his wife and her lover.

If that sounds complicated, the reality is a little less daunting. It breezes along at a nice pace, with whimsical musical cues and engaging dialogue. When Julie Christie’s Betty Logan looks longingly into Beatty’s eyes, there is real chemistry on screen. That they had previously been romantically linked comes as no surprise to me – I was born in the 1980s so was unaware of their relationship.

A cute romantic comedy that provokes thought without ever really feeling too taxing.

Celebrate by watching the trailer below then wondering why you’ve never seen the film before.