Defending Your Life [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Albert Brooks Albert Brooks

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/30/2021
UPC:	0715515257015
Original Release:	1991
Rating:	PG
Source:	Criterion Collection
Language:	English
Time:	1:51:00
Sales rank:	8,860

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Albert Brooks	Daniel Miller
Meryl Streep	Julia
Rip Torn	Bob Diamond
Lee Grant	Lena Foster
Buck Henry	Dick Stanley
Michael Durrell	Agency Head
James Eckhouse	Jeep Owner
Gary Beach	Car Salesman
Julie Cobb	Tram Guide
Peter Schuck	Stan
Time Winters	Porter
Sharlie Stuart	Susan
Beth Black	Soap Opera Woman
Clayton Norcross	Soap Opera Man
James MacKrell	Game Show Moderator
Wil Albert	Game Show Contestant
Sage Allen	Game Show Contestant
Mary Pat Gleason	Waitress
Maxine Elliott	Elderly Woman on Tram
Marilyn Rockafellow	Helen
Roger Behr	Comedian
Art Frankel	Arthur
Ernie Brown	Ernie
George D. Wallace	Daniel's Judge
Lillian Lehman	Daniel's Judge
Raffi Di Blasio	Daniel as a Boy
Kristopher Kent Hill	Bully
Eric Ehasz	Child in Schoolyard
Matthew Scharch	Daniel as an Infant
S. Scott Bullock	Daniel's Father
Carol Bivins	Daniel's Mother
Ethan Embry	Steve
Gary Ballard	Mr. Wadworth,Julia's Daughter
Mary Mukogawa	Sushi Hostess
Toshio Shikami	Head Sushi Chef,Sushi Chef
Samee Park	Sushi Chef
Tommy Inouye	Sushi Chef
Ken Thorley	Frank
Bob Braun	Talk Show Host
Jennifer Barlow	Talk Show Guest
Joey Miyashima	Casio Tipster
Nurit Koppel	Daniel's Date
Susan Walters	Daniel's Wife
Sidney Chankin	Used Car Salesman
Greg Finley	Used Car Salesman
Leonard O. Turner	Sam,Sam
Cliff Einstein	Julia's Prosecutor
Rachel Bard	Julia's Judge
Newell Alexander	Julia's Judge
Hal Landon	Man in Past Lives Pavilion
Ida Lee	Woman in Past Lives Pavilion
Noley Thornton	Victorian Girl
Glen Chin	Sumo Wrestler,Ticket Counter Agent
James Ekim	Native
Clarke Coleman	Knight
David Purdham	Peter
James Paradise	Stage Manager
Jerry Prell	Banquet Manage
Arell Blanton	Fire Marshal
Chris Macris	Julia's Son
Joseph Darrell	Maitre d'
James Manis	Eduardo
Alex Sheafe	Martin
Lisa Sears	Tram Port Attendant
Mark Dunlap	Tram Port Attendant
Vernon Roguen	Tram Port Attendant
Dennis Germain	Tram Driver
Shirley MacLaine	Woman at Past Lives Pavilion
Scott S. Bullock	Daniel's Father
Barbara Claman	Actor
Mark Saks	Actor
Maxine Hicks	Woman on bus
Hal Landon Jr.	Man in Past Lives Pavilion
Ronald Colby	Majestic Doorman
Michael Gore	Composer

Technical Credits

Albert Brooks

Albert Brooks	Director,Screenwriter
Mat Beck	Special Effects
Dennis Dion	Special Effects
Bill Erickson	Stunts
Dave Goldberg	Special Effects
Michael Grillo	Producer
Herbert S. Nanas	Executive Producer,Producer
Thomas D. Causey	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

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.

All Movie Guide - Karl Williams