Heavens Above! (1963): cast, story & where to watch
1963 · Film · ★ 6.2
Released in 1963, Heavens Above! is a comedy film directed by John Boulting, running about 118 minutes. “Where "I'm All Right Jack" left off…this takes off!” — that tagline sets the tone.
What it’s about. A naive but caring prison chaplain, who happens to have the same last name as an upper class cleric, is by mistake appointed as vicar to a small and prosperous country town. His belief in charity and forgiveness sets him at odds with the conservative and narrow-minded locals, and he soon creates social ructions by appointing a black dustman as his churchwarden, taking in a gypsy family, and persuading the local landowner to provide free food for the church to distribute free to the people of the town. When the congregation leaders realise the mistake and call for the Church of England to remove him, this turns out to be a very, very difficult issue - until one clergyman realises that a British project to send a man into space is in need of an astronaut...
Who’s in it. Heavens Above! stars Peter Sellers as The Rev. John Smallwood, Cecil Parker as Archdeacon Aspinall, Isabel Jeans as Lady Despard and Ian Carmichael as The Other Smallwood, among others.
How it landed. With an audience score of 6.2/10, Heavens Above! has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.
Where to watch. In GB you can rent or buy it from Apple TV Store, Amazon Video and Sky Store. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Heavens Above! page.
If you liked it. Fans of Heavens Above! tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.
Frequently asked
- Where can I watch Heavens Above! (1963)?
- In GB, Heavens Above! is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store, Amazon Video and Sky Store. Availability varies by country — check our where-to-watch page for every region.
- Is Heavens Above! worth watching?
- Heavens Above! holds an audience score of 6.2 out of 10, and is a strong pick if you enjoy comedy. Reactions are mixed, so it may depend on taste.
- Who stars in Heavens Above!?
- Heavens Above! stars Peter Sellers, Cecil Parker, Isabel Jeans, Ian Carmichael and Bernard Miles.
- When was Heavens Above! released?
- Heavens Above! was released in 1963, with a runtime of about 118 minutes.