WARNING: Spoilers are unmarked.
The Film:
- In a strange, twisted way, Bartlett is still attracted to Patricia (and she to him), despite that she's aged in the past 30 years. Talk about smoldering passion.
- While Lucy can't see him as he does this, Ray orders her to get out of the Bradley house when he sees the dark aura emanating from it, then stays behind to attempt to protect her, shortly before his second death at the hands of the Reaper. After he was so selfish in life, it was a sweet moment, even if it didn't do much in the end.
- The Reveal that Frank either broke apart or buried the cement of his basketball court he'd selfishly built instead of a garden his late wife wanted, and started an actual garden in her memory. The only remnant left is the moss and ivy-covered basketball hoop atop a pole, possibly representing himself and his inability to move on from Debra's death.
- Stuart, Cyrus, and Debra all greeting Frank when he arrives in Heaven after dying to send Johnny and Patricia to Hell.
- Stuart tells Frank that it isn't his time to die, and Cyrus says "Start livin', dude" and pushes Frank out of Heaven, sending him back to his body.
- In the novelization, Frank acknowledges he wasted his second chance at life, but Cyrus says he and Stuart had a word with God who's agreed to give Frank a third chance.
- What's telling is that all three of them greet Frank warmly despite all the grief he's given them in life (Frank was heavily implied to be a lousy husband, and he was shown to be a Mean Boss to Cyrus and Stuart).
- The progression of Frank and Lucy's relationship, ending with them getting together in the end.
Behind the Scenes/Other
- This was Michael J. Fox's last starring role, though it wasn't because the movie derailed his career. Fox himself decided he'd had enough of being away from his family making movies, and to head back to the small screen.
- Doubling as a Tear Jerker; Dee Wallace posted a video
explaining how during the production of the film, her husband, Christopher Stone, suddenly passed away. When she was heading back home to prepare for his memorial service, Peter Jackson told her, "Don't worry about it, Dee. This is just a movie; this is your life. Go home and take care of what you need to take care of." After the service was done, Dee picked up her then 6-year-old daughter Gabrielle and her family's nanny, and flew back to finish filming. Between takes, Michael J. Fox played four square with Gabrielle. After the film was finished, Dee went to accounting to settle the costs for the back-and-forth flights she had had to take, but was told that Jackson had covered the costs for her.
