USA,
1991, 112 min
Directed by:
Albert BrooksScreenplay:
Albert BrooksCinematography:
Allen DaviauComposer:
Michael GoreCast:
Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep, James Eckhouse, Rip Torn, Mary Pat Gleason, Julie Cobb, Lee Grant, Ethan Embry, Buck Henry, Shirley MacLaine, Glen Chin (more)Plots(1)
After he dies suddenly, the hapless advertising executive Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks) finds himself in Judgment City, a gleaming way station where the newly deceased must prove they lived a life of sufficient courage to advance in their journey through the universe. As the self-doubting Daniel struggles to make his case, a budding relationship with the uninhibited Julia (Meryl Streep) offers him a chance to finally feel alive. Buoyed by a brilliant supporting cast that includes Rip Torn, Lee Grant, and Buck Henry, Defending Your Life is a rare feat of personal, philosophical filmmaking that happens to also be divinely entertaining. (Criterion)
(more)