I vaguely remember the original release of Defending Your Life. It's an Albert Brooks vehicle, because Albert Brooks is box office gold, so he can do whatever he wants. This is barely a Meryl Streep movie. Like Kramer vs. Kramer, she has little screen time, but nevertheless brings it every moment she's given. Defending Your Life is a bright point in an otherwise terrible run of movies for Streep, sandwiched between She-Devil and Death Becomes Her, the first two movies of hers I remember watching. They are also contenders for two of the worst movies in which she's appeared.
Defending Your Life is an obvious Albert Brooks movie. Like Woody Allen, Brooks is the star and has a neurotic west coast behavior instead of being a neurotic east coast type. Brooks concentrates more on professional failings and overcoming personal fear where Allen concentrates on sex, almost exclusively.
Life follows Brooks as he dies, arrives at Judgement City, and suffers through a trial of his life. The judges try to determine whether Brooks' character has learned enough on Earth to advance into a higher being to be placed elsewhere in the universe. The main thing to learn on Earth is to conquer fear, according to the movie. If you have not, you are sent to Earth to try again. The trial takes four days, so Brooks has a decent amount of time to enjoy Judgement City, which is a heaven-like resort/city. It's in Brooks' free time he meets Streep's character. She approaches him, they click and fall in love. Streep is destined to move on while Brooks is seemingly destined to return to Earth. Take it from there.
The humor is standard Albert Brooks. People around him do confusing, to him, things and act like everything is fine and logical while he flips out. He makes snarky comments which are very funny but likely to get you a pounding if said to the wrong person. While he's brave enough for snide remarks, he shrinks under a spotlight. Standard Brooks themes and humor. This is his best movie I've seen, though. He might be helped by solid supporting actors. In addition to Streep, Rip Torn has a very good role as Brooks' Defender.
Random comments about the movie:
1. In the first 5 minutes we get Jim Walsh, which is always a treat.
2. Kind of a downer to know that, as soon as the movie opens, this guy's going to die. And you know it'll be in the Beamer.
3. No idea what song he's listening to while he's driving. I don't want to know.
4. Wasn't a fan of the gag reel during his trial. Didn't see the purpose. He's clumsy. That's reason to hold him back?
Saw Ethan Embry in there, star of Can't Hardly Wait. And Brooks' wife I remember from Dear John (the tv show). She's probably better known as Dolores on Seinfeld. Shirley MacLaine is host for the Past Lives Pavilion, which is cute.
First Viewing: 2+2+3+2+3 = 12