DEFENDING YOUR LIFE
A film review by Chuck Dowling
Copyright 1997 Chuck Dowling
Defending Your Life (1991) ***** out of ***** - C:Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep, Rip Torn, Lee Grant, Buck Henry.
Albert Brooks is probably the smartest comedic talent working in films today. He wrote and directed "Defending Your Life" which is one of the brightest and funniest films of all time.
Brooks plays Daniel Miller, a business executive who is killed in a traffic accident. He wakes up in Judgment City, a waiting grounds of sorts where you have to "defend" your life on Earth. A trial is held for every person who dies to see if they have evolved enough to pass on to the next step in the universe. If they don't pass they are sent back to Earth to start all over again and eventually if that person never evolves enough, they are "thrown away". The trial is like a trial here on Earth with prosecutors, defenders, and judges. During the trial, moments from the person's life are shown on a big screen in the courtroom, while the two lawyers battle to prove if the person has led a good life and overcome his or her fears.
This is a brilliant idea for a film and Brooks pulls it off perfectly. He takes what people could consider a controversial subject (life after death) and makes a film which I don't see how it could be offensive to anyone. It's sweet, charming, romantic (during his stay, Brooks meets Meryl Streep and they fall in love), it's clean (Rated PG), and most importantly, it's funny. This is one of those rare films where every joke is a winner. The music by Michael Gore is excellent. And the supporting cast does an outstanding job, especially Rip Torn as Daniel's defender.
"Defending Your Life" is Albert Brooks' best film to date and those who enjoy this film should also enjoy "Real Life", "Lost in America", "The Scout", and "Mother". All are written and/or directed by Brooks.
-- Chuck Dowling Visit Chuck's Movie Reviews at http://users.southeast.net/~chuckd21/ Over 1,600 movies rated and/or reviewed! Movie news, box office reports, film related links, and reader's polls and reviews.
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