| Director | Buck Henry, Warren Beatty |
|---|---|
| Budget | $6 million |
| Box office | $98.8 million |
Joe Pendleton, a backup quarterback for the National Football League's Los Angeles Rams, is looking forward to leading his team to the Super Bowl. While he is riding his bicycle through a tunnel, an overzealous guardian angel on his first assignment, known only as the Escort, sees a large truck heading into the other end of the tunnel towards Joe. The Escort plucks Joe out of his body early, in the mistaken belief that Joe was about to be killed, to save him from any suffering.
Once in the afterlife, Joe refuses to believe that his time is up, and upon investigation, Mr. Jordan (the Escort's supervisor) discovers that Joe was going to just narrowly miss the truck and he was not destined to die until March 20, 2025, at 10:17 am. Unfortunately, his body has already been cremated, so a new body must be found for him. After rejecting several possible men who are about to die, Joe is persuaded to accept the body of a multimillionaire industrialist. Leo Farnsworth has just been drugged and drowned in his bathtub by his cheating gold digger wife Julia Farnsworth and her lover Tony Abbott, Leo's personal secretary.
Julia and Tony are amazed when Leo reappears alive and well, and Leo's domestic staff is confused by the changes in some of his habits and tastes. Still obsessed with his football destiny, Leo/Joe buys the Rams and plans to lead them to the Super Bowl as their quarterback. To succeed, he must first convince and then secure the help of his longtime friend and Rams trainer Max Corkle to get his new body in shape. At the same time, he falls in love with Betty Logan, an environmental activist, whom he met when she came to his doorstep to protest the original Leo's corporate policies.
With the Rams about to play in the Super Bowl, all the characters face a crisis. Mr. Jordan informs Joe that he must give up Leo's body, as well. Joe resists, but hints to Betty that she might someday meet someone else, possibly another quarterback, and should think of him. Julia and Tony continue their murderous plans, and Tony finally shoots Leo/Joe dead. The Rams are forced to start Tom Jarrett, another quarterback, in the climactic game. A detective, Lieutenant Krim, interrogates the suspects while they watch the game on television. With the help of Max, he gets Julia and Tony to incriminate each other.
After a brutal hit on the field, Tom is killed. With Mr. Jordan's help, Joe occupies Tom's body and leads the Rams to victory. During the team's postgame celebration, Max finds Tom/Joe, and when he realizes that it is him, they share an emotional embrace. As Tom/Joe is being interviewed on television, Mr. Jordan tells him that to live as Tom Jarrett, he will have to lose his memories of his life as Joe Pendleton and Leo Farnsworth. As Mr. Jordan disappears, Tom/Joe becomes disoriented. Max goes to find him later and is crestfallen to realize that Joe has "left" Tom.
Tom bumps into Betty while leaving the stadium. They strike up a conversation, and each appears to recognize the other, but they do not know how. The lights go out one by one in the stadium as they exit the venue, and Tom says something that reminds Betty of Leo/Joe. Looking into his eyes, Betty remembers what he said to her before and whispers, "You're the quarterback." Tom asks her to go with him for coffee, and she accepts.