Defending Your Life (1991)

very weak, unfortunately

There are women in the film, but none has anything you could call a personality.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Ok. I watched Defending Your Life last night, and I repeat, How have I not heard of it??It's perhaps in a related cadence to My Dinner With Andrei, or Mindwalk, or What the Bleep Do We Know, except those movies are all terrible and I bleeping hate them.DYL was snappy, wise, absurd, a last joyous spasm of 80s cleverness, several times hilarious... Definitely following a _vision_.Also a very clear, prosecutable antecedent of The Good Place. "You know, on Earth we have these things called strip malls." "Yeah, we started getting them here, too. I never go, I don't like yogurt and I trim my own nails."If you enjoy the TV show The Good Place, you'll appreciate going back to an earlier source. Just watch it.

What a terrific little gem of a comedy. Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have access to all the HBO channels, a benefit of being an only child I suppose. This film would play on HBO Comedy frequently enough for me to fall in love with it. As I grew older and more mature, I began to truly understand the jokes that are spread throughout it and how fear of getting hurt leads up to live a careful life, a life that doesn't achieve its full potential. This theme is layered throughout hilarious clips that are used to review the life of our protagonist, Daniel. Meryl Streep doesn't have much to work with in this, to be honest, but she still manages to shine in a rather simple role. "Did I mention that you can eat ALL you want?"

So, what happens when you die? The film poses that question and decides that you must defend certain aspects of your life...though apparently not sin. It's an interesting concept. In this case, Albert Brooks has to defend his indecision and fear throughout his life...which he only does at the very last moment.Albert Brooks is a bit passive here...although that seems right for the character he is playing (and by the way he wrote and directed the film, also). It seems like we almost always like Meryl Streep, and I do here. It's a much lighter role for her, and I think I liked it for that very reason. Rip Torn is good as Brooks' defender. Lee Grant seems a little cold here as the prosecutor...which often seemed to be her role in films...but it works. Buck Henry...nice to see him...briefly...but why is he here.So what's to criticize here. Well, the film is a bit slow at time. There are some missed opportunities (for example it would have been interesting to see more about the main characters previous lives). And we are left hanging as Brooks and Streep ride off into the sunset...to do what?...be together?...seems unlikely.Nevertheless, this film makes you think more than most films do. It's interesting, but not enthralling.

The basic concept looks like it incorporates various belief systems here and there; Buddhist view of reincarnation, Abrahamaic religions' views of afterlife personal judgment, and the American Dream of a liberal heaven. The movie builds up the main character's funny attitude very well. It's too bad that it doesn't really support the story. It's because the story gets to be so serious and it leaves no room for any practical jokes. I personally think that this movie should also be billed as a romance story, because it can present the afterlife acquaintance and ensuing relationship nicely. The acting is decently okay. Albert Brooks give out enough character to his role and was funny in it. Meryl Streep gives the nice balancing act on the romantic side of the story.