Search - FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE on DVD

Marvelously crafted

Greenwich06831 | Greenwich, Connecticut USA | 03/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was a very cool surprise. My friend suggested we watch it. I thought I was going to see a movie with an emphasis on religion. But I was immediately caught up in the story. To coin a cliche' "I laughed, I cried, I loved it!"

Written by the very talented Ann Marcus "For Heaven's Sake" is a story about a Grandmother who makes a promise to be at her granddaughter's birthday party. At a moment when the grandmother discovers that her deceased husband may have had an extra-marital affair, she has a heart attack and dies. She finds herself in heaven. But it is nothing like she would have imagined. It is a bureaucratic monolith, hugely unorganized. She finds out that her husband, who is also there, may be seeing the woman he may have had an affair with, but she can't just catch up with him yet. Instead, she insists on being able to go back to keep her promise to be at her granddaughter's birthday. The bureaucrats in heaven try to accommodate her. Meanwhile, she is able to use their computers to go back in time and relive moments of her past with her husband.

Marcus craftily weaves the serious with the comedy. It is a high wire act in screenwriting and Marcus pulls it off fantastically. This is the same Ann Marcus who won an Emmy Award for the cult TV classic, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

Director, Nat Christian handles the clever material with a sophisticated hand of a very accomplished filmmaker. He skillfully unfolds the story, also weaving the story lines together so that the laughs do not get in the way of the very touching moments that grab your heart.

Florence Henderson stars as the grandmother, and I have never seen Ms. Henderson better. She is both real as an actress and plays the comedy in a real way, which works famously.

Allison Lange plays a "younger" Florence with great skill. Lange is a very talented actress who has an amazing screen presence.

Handsome David Paetkau brings truth to his role as Lange's husband.

Yaani King is adorable and quite good as an aide in heaven.

Kathryn Gordon is excellent as Florence's daughter.

Cameos by Joseph Campanella and Newell Alexander remind us of what treasures we have in Hollywood with such wonderful talents as these two actors.

A knockout performance is given by young Stephanie Patton.

Editing by Jeff Gove is fluid. Music by James Barth is just right for the moods. Camera by Michael Hardwick and Production Design by Dolores Piazza contribute nicely to the look.

Marcus has done a marvelous job of writing a very clever take on heaven. And Christian craftily delivers this vision for a most enjoyable time."