{ "id": "epn0jh9nn0", "slug": "my-blue-heaven", "title": "My Blue Heaven", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "label": "Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films", "label": "1990s films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films.crime-comedies-and-capers", "label": "Crime comedies and capers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films.crime-comedies-and-capers" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000: 1990s films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "label": "Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films", "label": "1990s films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films" } ] } ], "excerpt": "My Blue Heaven (1990) is a Warner Bros. crime comedy directed by Herbert Ross, written by Nora Ephron, starring Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, and Joan Cusack; loosely based on Henry Hill, released a month before Goodfellas, grossing $22.8 million.", "snippet": "My Blue Heaven (1990) is a Warner Bros. crime comedy directed by Herbert Ross, written by Nora Ephron, starring Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, and Joan Cusack; loosely based on Henry Hill, released a month before Goodfellas, grossing $22.8 million.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.1990s-films.crime-comedies-and-capers", "markdown": "# My Blue Heaven\n\n**My Blue Heaven** is a 1990 American crime comedy film directed by [Herbert Ross](https://www.edgepedia.org/herbert-ross), written by [Nora Ephron](https://www.edgepedia.org/nora-ephron), and starring [Steve Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-martin), Rick Moranis, and Joan Cusack, released by Warner Bros. on August 17, 1990[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58625). Martin plays Vincent \"Vinnie\" Antonelli, a New York mobster who turns state's evidence and is relocated to a small California town under the Federal Witness Protection Program, where his inability to keep a low profile exasperates the by-the-books FBI agent guarding him (Moranis) and the local district attorney (Cusack)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58625) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1029161-my_blue_heaven). The film is loosely based on the life of mob informant Henry Hill, whose story was also dramatized that same year in Martin Scorsese's *Goodfellas*[3](https://www.blu-ray.com/digital/My-Blue-Heaven-Digital/3959/).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | August 17, 1990 (United States), Warner Bros.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58625) |\n| Director / writer | Herbert Ross; screenplay by Nora Ephron[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58625) |\n| Cast | Steve Martin (Vinnie Antonelli), Rick Moranis (Barney Coopersmith), Joan Cusack (Hannah Stubbs)[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100212/fullcredits/) |\n| Rating and length | PG-13; 97 minutes per the AFI Catalog (some listings give 95 or 96 minutes)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58625) • [3](https://www.blu-ray.com/digital/My-Blue-Heaven-Digital/3959/) |\n| Basis | Loosely based on Henry Hill, the mobster profiled in Nicholas Pileggi's book *Wiseguy*[3](https://www.blu-ray.com/digital/My-Blue-Heaven-Digital/3959/) |\n| Box office | $22.8 million gross in the United States[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1029161-my_blue_heaven) |\n| Critical score | 71% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (21 reviews); 6.3/10 on IMDb from about 24,000 votes[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1029161-my_blue_heaven) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/my-blue-heaven) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise\n\nFBI agent Barney Coopersmith is assigned to protect Vincent \"Vinnie\" Antonelli, a former Mafia figure turned informant. [Witness protection](https://www.edgepedia.org/witness-protection) is supposed to mean a low profile, something Antonelli has trouble maintaining: he reprices food in the supermarket, mows the lawn in an Armani suit, and frequents nightclubs, while Mafia hitmen want to stop him from testifying[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/my-blue-heaven) • [6](https://www.deseret.com/1990/8/19/18877006/my-blue-heaven-likely-will-leave-viewers-tickled-pink-with-martin-moranis/). Coopersmith repeatedly gets him out of trouble with local authorities headed by assistant district attorney Hannah Stubbs; to repay him, Antonelli fixes Coopersmith up with Stubbs, and the mobster in turn helps the agent loosen up[6](https://www.deseret.com/1990/8/19/18877006/my-blue-heaven-likely-will-leave-viewers-tickled-pink-with-martin-moranis/).\n\n## Development and production\n\nAccording to a May 27, 1990 *Los Angeles Times* Magazine article, executive producer and screenwriter Nora Ephron pitched the idea in late 1987 to actress [Goldie Hawn](https://www.edgepedia.org/goldie-hawn), who was interested in playing the district attorney. Her premise: a mid-level gangster serving as a key murder witness is relocated by the Federal Witness Protection Program to a rural California town, and he unleashes a wave of crime there since lawbreaking is the sole skill he possesses.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58625) • [7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-27-tm-441-story.html)\n\n**Delays and recasting.** The project went into development at Warner Bros. under production executive Allyn Stewart, but a twenty-two-week Writers Guild strike that began in March 1988 delayed Ephron's completion of the script. In early 1989 Hawn turned down the role, though she and her business partner Anthea Sylbert remained as executive producer and producer, respectively[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58625). Steve Martin initially expressed interest in playing the FBI agent; after [Danny DeVito](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-devito) declined the gangster role, Ephron encouraged Martin to consider the lead instead. Herbert Ross became available as director when a different project was delayed[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58625).\n\nProduction began in October 1989, with Hollywood Reporter production charts listing November 5, 1989 as the starting date[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58625). In a February 1990 *Film* article, Ross said his aim was to go beyond escapist comedy, arguing that there is \"safety and comfort [in] middle-class values\" and that \"at heart everybody is middle class,\" including a gangster who becomes a \"pillar of the suburban community\"[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58625).\n\nThe crew included cinematographer John Bailey, editors Stephen A. Rotter and Robert Reitano, production designer Charles Rosen, and composer Ira Newborn[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58625) • [8](https://watch.afi.com/movie/my-blue-heaven).\n\n## The Henry Hill connection\n\nThe film shares a source with *Goodfellas*. [Henry Hill](https://www.edgepedia.org/henry-hill), a onetime associate of the [Lucchese crime family](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucchese-crime-family), turned state's evidence and testified against his peers, and writer [Nicholas Pileggi](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicholas-pileggi) told his story in the 1985 book *Wiseguy*, the basis for Scorsese's film[9](https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/movies/my-blue-heaven-vs-goodfellas-henry-hill-gangster-movies). Ephron was Pileggi's wife, and *My Blue Heaven* was written as a kind of comic coda to the Scorsese picture, focusing on the witness-protection phase of such a life rather than the criminal career[9](https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/movies/my-blue-heaven-vs-goodfellas-henry-hill-gangster-movies) • [10](https://time.com/3833871/goodfellas-martin-scorsese-movie-review/).\n\n*My Blue Heaven* reached theaters in August 1990, about a month before *Goodfellas*' September release, so the two films, sprung from the same household, arrived almost together[9](https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/movies/my-blue-heaven-vs-goodfellas-henry-hill-gangster-movies). Both even reuse a specific Hill trait: the Hill character complains of ordering spaghetti and getting \"egg noodles and ketchup\"[9](https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/movies/my-blue-heaven-vs-goodfellas-henry-hill-gangster-movies).\n\n## Reception\n\nWarner Bros. kept the film from critics before its opening, a practice usually reserved for movies a studio expects to review badly; the *Deseret News* critic Chris Hicks nonetheless called it \"a delightful farce\" with Martin and Moranis \"in top form,\" while noting flaws including gags that fall flat and sluggishness in the final third[6](https://www.deseret.com/1990/8/19/18877006/my-blue-heaven-likely-will-leave-viewers-tickled-pink-with-martin-moranis/). On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 71% Tomatometer from 21 reviews and a 59% Popcornmeter audience score from more than 10,000 ratings; it grossed $22.8 million in the United States[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1029161-my_blue_heaven). Later critical summaries describe it as a broad, fast-paced comedy that leans on gangster-comedy clichés while letting the cast have fun with them[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1029161-my_blue_heaven).\n\n## Home media and availability\n\nThe film was released on DVD on May 18, 1999, and Warner Home Video issued a Blu-ray in 2017 with 1080p [high-definition video](https://www.edgepedia.org/high-definition-video) in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and DTS-HD Master Audio English 2.0 stereo[11](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/my-blue-heaven/15137/where-to-watch/) • [12](https://catalog.metrolibrary.org/Record/CARL0001271334?page=1&recordIndex=17&searchId=36115786).\n\n**Current streaming status.** As of late 2026, the film is not included with any streaming subscription in any of the 51 regions tracked by FlickFinder, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada[13](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/my-blue-heaven-1990-16384). In the United States it can be rented for $3.99 or bought from $9.99 on Amazon Video, the Apple TV Store, and Fandango At Home[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/my-blue-heaven). In Germany, where the film reached theaters on January 9, 1992, it is available for rental from €3.99 on Prime Video, iTunes, and Videoload[14](https://www.kino.de/film/my-blue-heaven-1990/stream/). Streaming rights are licensed country by country, so availability differs by market even for the same service[13](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/my-blue-heaven-1990-16384).\n\n## References\n\n1. [My Blue Heaven (1990), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/58625)\n2. [My Blue Heaven, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1029161-my_blue_heaven)\n3. [My Blue Heaven Digital, Blu-ray.com](https://www.blu-ray.com/digital/My-Blue-Heaven-Digital/3959/)\n4. [My Blue Heaven (1990) Full Cast & Crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100212/fullcredits/)\n5. [My Blue Heaven streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/my-blue-heaven)\n6. ['My Blue Heaven' Likely Will Leave Viewers Tickled Pink with Martin, Moranis, Deseret News (Aug 19, 1990)](https://www.deseret.com/1990/8/19/18877006/my-blue-heaven-likely-will-leave-viewers-tickled-pink-with-martin-moranis/)\n7. [The Movies: The Fine Art of Making the Deal, Los Angeles Times (May 27, 1990)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-27-tm-441-story.html)\n8. [My Blue Heaven, American Film Institute streaming](https://watch.afi.com/movie/my-blue-heaven)\n9. ['My Blue Heaven,' Steve Martin's Comedic, Spiritual Sequel to 'Goodfellas', Mental Floss](https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/movies/my-blue-heaven-vs-goodfellas-henry-hill-gangster-movies)\n10. [Cinema: Married to The Mob, Time (Sep 24, 1990)](https://time.com/3833871/goodfellas-martin-scorsese-movie-review/)\n11. [My Blue Heaven Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/my-blue-heaven/15137/where-to-watch/)\n12. [My blue heaven, Metropolitan Library System catalog](https://catalog.metrolibrary.org/Record/CARL0001271334?page=1&recordIndex=17&searchId=36115786)\n13. [Where to watch My Blue Heaven (1990), FlickFinder](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/my-blue-heaven-1990-16384)\n14. [My Blue Heaven (1990) · Stream, Kino.de](https://www.kino.de/film/my-blue-heaven-1990/stream/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 1990s films › Crime comedies and capers*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/my-blue-heaven", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/my-blue-heaven.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"My Blue Heaven\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/my-blue-heaven. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[My Blue Heaven](https://www.edgepedia.org/my-blue-heaven)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/my-blue-heaven](https://www.edgepedia.org/my-blue-heaven). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"My Blue Heaven\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/my-blue-heaven. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "My Blue Heaven is a Warner Bros. crime comedy directed by Herbert Ross, written by Nora Ephron, starring Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, and Joan Cusack; loosely based on Henry Hill, released a month before Goodfellas, grossing $22.8 million." }