A Little Bit of Heaven (formerly titled Earthbound) is a 2011 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Nicole Kassell, and starring Kate Hudson and Gael García Bernal.

Plot

Marley Corbett is a quick-witted, carefree ad executive living in New Orleans, who embraces her easy going attitude, shuns any major responsibilities, and gains support and strength from a close circle of friends. She also enjoys casual dating, refusing to fall in love.

Marley s close friend Sarah notices that she looks drained. After an appointment, Marley is told by Dr. Julian Goldstein that she has terminal cancer. He is deeply impressed by the way she accepts the news with humour and dignity. While under anesthetic, God appears to Marley in heaven and gives her three wishes. She chooses to fly, to win a million dollars (not tax free), and a third that is later revealed.

Marley must now break the news to her friends and parents (who are divorced and haven t spoken in years). Her mother is persistent and overbearing, and instantly begins to smother Marley by visiting too often and making her meals to keep her strength up. Marley s father is the opposite; distant and reserved, and doesn t seem bothered with reconnecting with her in the time she has left.

While driving through town one morning, Marley and Sarah take part in a radio call game where the 97th caller wins a prize. They get through and Marley is told she s won flying lessons – her first wish granted. It is revealed that her other friend Renee is pregnant with her second child. This makes Marley question her life of never settling down.

As the weeks go by, Marley s health deteriorates and she visits her doctor Julian more and more. One night, they see each other at a band night at their local bar and spend the rest of the night on a date. They start to develop feelings for one another.

Marley tells her boss about the cancer and he asks her about her life insurance plans, as their company has a policy that anybody who has a life-threatening illness can cash out, gaining a million dollars ($500,000 dollars after tax) instantly – her second wish.

Marley s friend and neighbor Peter, noticing she is getting worse, hires a little person stripper, to meet with Marley at her apartment. Marley denies the stripper and explains her sickness to him, then decides to let him stay. As they hang out and talk about her cancer, he tells her that he has died before. He explains that dying was like floating and that he never wanted to leave. This helps Marley come to terms with her illness and death.

After another date, Marley and Julian sleep together and begin a relationship. However, the realization they won t have a future together causes her to flee quickly one morning before he wakes. That afternoon, they argue and Marley breaks it off. Envious of her friends who are all going through positive life changes, she becomes distant.

After a bike accident, Marley visits heaven again. God makes her realize that she needs to cherish what she has while she can and, for the first time, Marley admits to being in love. Later that day, she visits Julian to rekindle their relationship, apologizes to the friends she has pushed away and makes peace with her father.

At home over the following weeks, Marley can only lie in bed, and starts focusing on all of the things she is going to miss. She writes cards for future special occasions she won t be around for and letters to her loved ones, giving them to her mother to give out at the right times.

One morning, as Marley and Sarah sit in the park, Marley confesses that she is no longer afraid to die, while Sarah is terrified of life without her. Marley drifts off and Sarah is unable to wake her, so she calls an ambulance. Knowing it s almost time, Marley is visited by everyone in the hospital who stay at her side until the end (except for Renee, who is in labor).

Julian comes in time to say goodbye and, at that final moment, Marley realizes her third wish was to fall in love. The film ends with Marley s funeral, a colorful celebration of life with all of her friends and family.

Cast

• Kate Hudson as Marley Corbett
• Gael García Bernal as Julian Goldstein
• Kathy Bates as Beverly Corbett
• Lucy Punch as Sarah Walker
• Romany Malco as Peter Cooper
• Rosemarie DeWitt as Renee Blair
• Whoopi Goldberg as God
• Treat Williams as Jack Corbett
• Steven Weber as Rob Randolf
• Peter Dinklage as Vinnie
• Alan Dale as Dr. Sanders

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 4% based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 2.82/10. The site s critics consensus reads: A Little Bit of Heaven subjects viewers to a whole bunch of schmaltz – and strands Kate Hudson and Gael García Bernal in a fatally misguided film. On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 14 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating universal dislike .

Year	2011
ReleaseDate	2012-05-04
RuntimeMins	106
RuntimeStr	1h 46min
Plot	An irreverent young woman who uses her humor to prevent matters from getting serious has a life-changing visit with her doctor.
Directors	Nicole Kassell
Writers	Gren Wells
Stars	Kate Hudson, Gael García Bernal, Kathy Bates
Produced by	Robbie Brenner, Skot Bright, John Davis, Mark Gill, Michael Goguen, Robert Katz, Neil Sacker, Adam Schroeder, Ian Watermeier, Gren Wells, Mike Witherill
Music by	Heitor Pereira
Cinematography by	Russell Carpenter
Film Editing by	Stephen A. Rotter
Casting By	Nicole Abellera, Lisa Mae Fincannon, Jeanne McCarthy
Production Design by	Stuart Wurtzel
Art Direction by	W. Steven Graham
Set Decoration by	Helen Britten
Costume Design by	Ann Roth
Makeup Department	Kathryn Blondell, Carla Brenholtz, Albert Louis Brown, Nikki I Brown, Samantha M. Capps, Adam Gaeta, Sian Grigg, Sherri B. Hamilton, Stacey Herbert, Anne James, Darryl Lucas, Monica McGowan, Yolanda Mercadel, Donita Miller, Anne Morgan, Paige Reeves, LeDiedra Richard-Baldwin, Tina Roesler Kerwin, Remi Savva, Donna Spahn, Susan Spaid, Aimee Stuit, Tony Ward, Melizah Anguiano Wheat, Amy Wood, Kent Richard
Production Management	Shirley Davis, Dan Genetti, Kati Johnston, Ian Watermeier
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Mat Beck, George Bott, Jared Hopkins, Jon Mallard, Caroline O Brien, Cali Pomes, James Roque, Paul Uddo
Art Department	Alexandra Adduci, Tom Ashburn, David Brian Becnel II, Roger Brad Benischek, Scott C. Bivona, John Blanchard, Damon C. Bonin, David Keith Broome, Kevin L. Broome, Andrew M. Casbon III, Cassie Catalanotto, Jo Chadick, Iggie Colomer, Gustavo Coto, Carl Counts, Carl Denooyer, Will Eastin, Jack Flynn, Gregory T. Geniusz, Jon Graubarth, Thomas Grehan, Mike Herriage, Dave Hingle, Juliana Hoffpauir, Sam Jacobs, J.D. Jacoby, Michael Jortner, Rob Joy, Alexander Lasseigne III, Kristin Lekki, Twig Leveque, K. Emily Levine, Jenifer Marrus, Myron Meek, Elizabeth Mire, Robert J. Moore Jr., Thomas R. Morrison, Danny Nick, Rachel Nowik, Pat A. O Connor, Pavel Pesta, Paul Pitalo, Andrew Preen, Louie F. Rabion, Janna Roach, Kyle Salvatore, Joaquin Sanchez, John Sanchez, Rachelle Sanchez, Shelly Sanchez, Robin Simmerly, Wayne Softley Jr., Brent Stewart, Chuck Stringer, Charles Tatum, Thomas Traugott, Stephen G. Walters, David Warburton, Steve Werblun
Sound Department	Steve C. Aaron, Bryan Arenas, Courtney Bishop, David Boulton, Kerry Carmean-Williams, Marc Fishman, Hector C. Gika, Dan Hegeman, Chris Hogan, Daniel J. Leahy, Chris Main, Craig Mann, Michael Miller, James Moriana, Nancy Nugent, Kelly Oxford, Gary L.G. Simpson, David Stanke, Greg Steele, Charles Tatum, Karen Vassar Triest, Brett Voss, Jared Watt, Jeffrey Wilhoit, Michael D. Wilhoit, Ben Wilkins, Greg Zimmerman
Special Effects by	Brian Bankston, Larry Barado, Peter G. Minor, Michael Nami Sr., David K. Nami, Jake Whitney, Brad Manis
Visual Effects by	Aurelia Abate, Seth Brower, Cyntia Büll, Michael Capton, Steve Cheatham, Michael Degtjarewsky, Steve Dellerson, Greg Derochie, Ivan DeWolf, Anna Dickinson, Olivier Dumont, Traci Duran, Mike Ek, Sean Andrew Faden, Henrik Fett, Kelly Fischer, Jenny Foster, Bradley Friedman, Carl Frytz, Dan Glass, Gabby Gourrier, Drew Jones, Brad Kalinoski, Danny S. Kim, Jim Kreitzburg, Gresham Lochner, Ben Looram, Julia MacMullen, Michael Maker, Maureen Nixon, Joyce Pan, Brett Reyenger, Migs Rustia, Wendy Seddon, Leslie Sorrentino, Marion Spates, Allan Stallard, Paul Stemmer, Stephanie Sweeney, Christine Verzosa, Tina Wallace, Jeff Willette, Ankush Barman, Mat Beck, Dheeraj Chaudhary, Brenda Finster, Paul Maples, Angela Meyer, Sean Penberthy
Stunts	Andy Cheng, Trace Cheramie, Tim Drnec, Lance Gilbert, Thirl Haston, Richard King, Pat Romano, John Rottger, Mike Smith, Nicole Surels, Mallory Thompson, Rich Volp, John Zimmerman, David Mueller
Camera and Electrical Department	Tarik Naim Alherimi, Michael Applebaum, Richard Ball, Erik L. Brown, Curt Burlin, Chip Carey, Buddy Carr, Michael Charbonnet, Andy Clapp, Jarrid Clinkinbeard, Duane Cooper, Larry Cottrill, Brian Dallas, Crystal Dallas, Joe Datri, Larry Dorsey Jr., Ferdinand Duplantier Jr., Brian Evans, Golnar Fakhrai, Albert Ferreira, Sean P. Fickert, Sean Fisher, Kevin Flores, Richard Foreman Jr., Scott Hillman, Charles Tom Hinson, Richard T. Hoover, Jerry M. Jacob, Michael D. Kennedy, Jarvis Lansing, Len Levine, Kevin Lippincott, Joe Lotuaco, Gregory Lundsgaard, Kevin Luster, Kevin Karl Lynch, Ronald Ronnie Martin, Larry McConkey, Mason McGuire, Christopher Meydrich, Steven Miller, Anthony Milliet, Mike Nami Jr., Clayton Nepveux, Adrian Neri, Josh Nobles, Joshua D. Nobles, Holly O Quin, Jerome Ordone, Daniel J. Ory, Joseph Paolucci Jr., Allen Parks, Frank Parrish, Patti Perret, Jason Prowell, Rell Putt, Humberto Recio, Jonathan E. Robinson, Declan Ryan, Jacob Sauerbrey, James Selph, Tiffani L. Stephenson, Jonathan Stoll, Jared Talbot, Nathan Tape, Jonathan Thompson, Daniel Tkaczyk, Mark Toups, John Trapman, Chris Trosclair, Tedd Underwood, Calvin Ursin Jr., Chad Vanko, Gabriel Velasco, Art Villasenor, Adam Ward, Ryan P. Ward, Amanda Warning, Kristopher Weaver, Jeremy Webre, Wylie Whitesides, Wade Whitley, Spencer Wilcox, Barry Williamson, Steve Zeiger, Scott Zuchowski, Tommy Klines, Darren Ursin
Casting Department	Ian Batherson, Julian Batherson, Robin Batherson, Joanne Bloom, Elizabeth Coulon, Lisa Mae Fincannon, Jason Landry, Brittany Pastor, Marcy Punch, Craig Fincannon, Caitlin McKenna, Jessica Munks
Costume and Wardrobe Department	Kate Friedberg, Linda Gardar, Patricia Gorman, Christy Hebert, Jennifer Kamrath, Sarah P. Koeppe, Fionnuala M. Lynch, Michelle Matland, Ashlie Philastre, Sebastian Rey, Candace Rice, Catherine Rodi, Jonathan Schwartz, Patty Spinale, Wendy Talley, April Justin, Ashley Martin
Editorial Department	Kamila Baghernejad, J. Cody Baker, Salvatore Catanzaro, Pete Conlin, James Durante, David Feldman, Gus Gustafson, Terry Haggar, Jonathan Hoffman, Christina Kremer, Sean Lawrence, Julien Lormant, Stephen Nakamura, Paul Rubin, Stefan Sonnenfeld
Location Management	J. Scott Brower, Andrew Cavaness, John Collins, Craig Harvey, Patricia Nelkin, Brandon Perry, Win Riley, M. Gerard Sellers, Jimmy Trotter, Ron Uribe, Peter Wilson, Wise Wolfe, Yvette LaPlace, Lisa Latter, Norris Ortolano, Chris Quackenbush
Music Department	Christopher Anderson-Bazzoli, Slamm Andrews, Greg Dennen, Nick Glennie-Smith, Rebekah Johnson, Dave Jordan, Tim Lauber, Don Markese, Esther McIntosh, Ladd McIntosh, Alan Meyerson, Heitor Pereira, Suzana Peric, Peter Rotter, Ben Schor, Curt Sobel, Denis St. Amand, Tom Steel, Jojo Villanueva, Booker White, Sebastian Zuleta, Christine Bergren, Jim Black, Chad Greer, Frank Macchia, Peter Rotter, Aaron Symonds
Script and Continuity Department	Amy Sanderson
Transportation Department	Oscar Austin, Zandra Batiste, Virgil Bienemy, David Bostic, Raphael Brown, Donald Burdett, David E. Burke, Dwight Craft, Nathaniel Dillings, Peter Gondrella, Ricky Hawkins, Earl R. Hurst Sr., Lawrence Johnson, Terry Johnson, Carlie M. Kahn, Dwayne Lain, Bruce Lane, Robert LaRose, James Oliver, Nick W. Pastrano, Poland Perkins, Jesse Quiet, Gwendalane Ramos, Cyril Rando, Mark Raschke, Al Sens, Willie C. Stringer Jr., Larry C. Sylvester, Melvin Theriot, Herbert Varnado, Steven Willhoite, Willie Williams Jr., Byron E. Williams, Brad Lips
Additional Crew	Cassandra Barbour, Kim Barnard, Mac Bartels, Paul Barth, Beau Brasseaux, Brooke Brooks, Candi Brooks, Kayce Brown, David E. Burke, Gregory S. Carr, Jennifer Carriere, Jason Chandler, Jamie Coffey, Laurie Croft, Delaney Davis, John R.C. Davis, Angel De La Vina, Alicia Dean, Rina Dhaliwal, Frank Duffy, Coco Dunaway, Drury Dupre, Joshua Dupre, Kevin Dziuda, Celeste Elechi, Gina Faucheux, Josh Feldman, Matthew Ford, Mandy Mendoza Gagliardi, Bryan Gardiner, Trevor George-Fowler, Shellie Gillespie, Moira Glace, Geraldine Glenn, Bernadette Gonzales, Joe Greblo, David Guilbeau, Gabriel Gator Guilbeau, Cutler Gultry, Julie Hansen, Andrew Gordon Harrington, Paul Harrison, Deuce Cheryl Hedrick, Sean Hogan, Jason Jeffries, Richard Johnson, Jeni Jones, Noah Kassell-Yung, Chris Kibler, Jeremy Kirkland, Iran Kuykendall, Mike Leonard, Jerica Lieberman, Michael J. Linowes, Kate Mandel, Chris Mangels, Paula P. Manzanedo, Christie Mattull, Casey McAdams, Anne Mendez, Eli Mendoza, Eliazar Mendoza, Ryan Miller, Susan Muir, Debbie Nash, Scott Nemes, Kathy Chambless Oliver, Christine Otal, Shannon Parker, Len Pendergast, Deirdre Peterson, Brie Puneky, Jennifer Ray, Jean Paul Robinson, Wes Rossi, Adam Ryan, Matthew Schneider, Derek A. Schwebel, Tim Sigur, Jennifer Sims, Diane Slattery, Megan Staab, Bernd Stephan, Mark C. Stevens, Adam M. Stone, Cat Stone, Dan Stutz, Sharon Swan, Shelley Tassin, Greg Trattner, Oliver Van Dam Merrett, Derrick Bentley Wells, Debra Woods Kaufmann, Sid Yost, Steve Yung, Sebastien Betsch, John C. Hoffler Jr., Jennifer E. Patterson, Joy Trahan, Alexander B. Williams
Genres	Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Companies	Davis Entertainment, MJW Films, The Film Department
Countries	USA
Languages	English
ContentRating	PG-13
ImDbRating	6.2
ImDbRatingVotes	29008
MetacriticRating	14
Keywords	depiction of god,afterlife,cool,mexican actor playing american character,female director