Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- sweet
- breezy
- sentimental
- lazy sunday
- nostalgic 1980s movie night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film predictable, visually bland, and lacking in humor, though some noted its likable characters and straightforward performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Bobby remains in a lower level of the afterlife and must work as a guardian angel to reach heaven.
Bobby learns that Lenny, the boy assigned to him, is his son.
Bobby reshapes Lenny's clothes and behavior into a playboy persona to attract Sharon.
The film describes heaven as “uptown” and organizes spiritual progress through assigned guardian-angel work.
Films like The Heavenly Kid, and why
Heaven Can Wait
supernatural romantic comedy centered on an otherworldly intermediary and personal redemption
The Preacher's Wife
warm fantasy comedy about an unconventional guardian helping people change their lives
Can't Buy Me Love
teen romantic comedy involving social transformation, confidence, and adolescent desire
Teen Witch
1980s teen fantasy romance with heightened wish fulfillment and emotional coming-of-age
Movie Details
- Director
- Cary Medoway
- Release Date
- 1985-07-26
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (133)
Cast
- Lewis Smith
- Jason Gedrick
- Jane Kaczmarek
- Beau Dremann
- Richard Mulligan
- Mark Metcalf
- Stephen Gregory
- Anne Sawyer
- Nancy Valen
- Chad Wiggins-Grady
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Heavenly Kid about?
- A deceased young man must earn his place in heaven by guiding the teenage son he never knew he had.
- What is The Heavenly Kid like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Heavenly Kid as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Heavenly Kid violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Heavenly Kid as mild.
- What did critics think of The Heavenly Kid?
- Critics generally found the film predictable, visually bland, and lacking in humor, though some noted its likable characters and straightforward performances.
- Which films are like The Heavenly Kid?
- Films with a similar feel include Heaven Can Wait, The Preacher's Wife, Can't Buy Me Love, and Teen Witch.
- How long is The Heavenly Kid?
- The Heavenly Kid runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Heavenly Kid?
- In United States, The Heavenly Kid streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
