Defending Your Life Movie

Defending Your Life
Rating:
Run Time: 112 min
MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 1991
Directors: Albert Brooks
Genre/Type: Comedy
Fantasy
Satire
Romantic Comedy
Heaven-Can-Wait Fantasies
Fantasy Comedy
Producers: Michael Grillo
Plot Synopsis by Mark Deming
Albert Brooks wrote, directed, and stars in this philosophical comedy about a man having a hard time making a case for himself in the afterlife. When advertising executive Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks) finds himself in a fatal car crash minutes after taking delivery on a new BMW, he's whisked away to Judgment City, where the recently dead are put on a sort of trial to decide their fate. If in your time on Earth you were able to face your fears and learn from your mistakes, you get to move on to a life in a better world. However, if you didn't, you have to go back to Earth and try again. As he spends the next several days watching various episodes from his life, Daniel gets the impression he doesn't stand much of a chance of moving on -- and his representative, Bob Diamond (Rip Torn), seems to have little confidence in his case. In the meantime, he frequents Judgment City's many restaurants (where the food is delicious and you can eat all you want without gaining an ounce), pays a visit to the Past Life Pavilion, and meets Julia (Meryl Streep), who seems so kind, sweet, and noble that her advancement is practically assured. Daniel and Julia fall in love, but what's going to happen if they don't end up in the same place? Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep make a witty and engaging romantic team in Defending Your Life, and Shirley MacLaine appears in a highly appropriate cameo.

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In an afterlife resembling the present-day US, people must prove their worth by showing in court how they have demonstrated courage. full summary | add synopsis
I thought it was pretty. This guy had to defend the life he lead, vs people who led much more meritorious lives. Give it a shot!
The movie "Defending Your Life" starring Albert Brooks had a huge impression on me. The story is about Daniel Miller, a successful businessman, who is killed in a car accident. He suddenly finds himself with a busload of people on...
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Cast

Actors Character Born
Albert Brooks Daniel Miller Jul 22, 1947 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA
Meryl Streep Julia Jun 22, 1949 in Summit, NJ
Rip Torn Bob Diamond Feb 6, 1931 in Temple, TX
Lee Grant Lena Foster Oct 31, 1927 in New York, NY
Buck Henry Dick Stanley Dec 9, 1930 in New York City, NY
Shirley MacLaine Herself Apr 24, 1934 in Richmond, VA
Leonard Turner Sam
Tim Winters Porter
Sharlie Stuart Susan
Joey Miyashima Casio Tipster
Ron Colby Majestic Doorman
Gary Beach Car Salesman
Beth Black Soap Opera Woman
Tommy Inouye Sushi Chef
Gary Ballard Mr. Wadworth
Shana Ballard Julia's Daughter
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Back to the topReview

Review by Karl Williams
Enchanting, always funny, sometimes hilarious, and featuring a surprisingly light comic performance from the ever adaptable Meryl Streep, this is the most likeable and endearing comedy to date for writer/director/star Albert Brooks. His satirical edge, so sharp in his three previous films -- Real Life (1979), Modern Romance (1981), and Lost in America (1985) -- seems at first glance to have been dulled, even if his funny bone is still in perfect working order. But Brooks is still mocking the human race; it's just that his humor has become gentler, suggesting that his longtime bitterness has evolved into a bemused, perceptive wisdom. Those who have become addicted to the Brooks oeuvre and its underlying neurotic cynicism might be dismayed that their favorite artistic pessimist has created a film that can be labeled heartwarming. But most Brooks fans will be delighted to find intact the brand of raw, naked honesty about the writer/director's own shortcomings they expect, treated with a tender forgiveness that's a new development to be sure, but an entirely welcome one. Peopled with memorable supporting players (particularly Rip Torn as a gruff but amiable legal eagle), and overflowing with creative ideas about the afterlife and its machinations, Defending Your Life amounts to a must-see film from one of the funniest, most under-appreciated filmmakers of our time.
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