Witty writing and fine performances by the ensemble cast make Defending Your Life into a total delight.
Defending Your Life (1991)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:25
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.6/10
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Daniel Miller's got it all--great friends, a terrific job, and a brand-new BMW--that is, until he crashes the car into a bus as soon as he drives it off the lot. Daniel finds himself in Judgment... Daniel Miller's got it all--great friends, a terrific job, and a brand-new BMW--that is, until he crashes the car into a bus as soon as he drives it off the lot. Daniel finds himself in Judgment City in the afterlife, where the newly dead have five days to defend the way they lived their lives in order to be allowed to move onward instead of going back to earth to live another one. As Daniel reviews his less-than-courageous life, he also enjoys the perks of Judgment City--the Past Lives Pavilion, all the food you can eat without any risk of weight gain--and Julia, the woman he's waited all his life to find. But if he can't prove his life wasn't governed by fear, Daniel has to go back--and Julia seems a shoo-in to move onward. This highly original, touching comedy stars Albert Brooks as Daniel Miller and Meryl Streep as Julia, with hilarious supporting performances by Rip Torn as Daniel's defender, Lee Grant as his prosecutor, and Buck Henry as a taciturn substitute lawyer. [More]
Starring: Albert Brooks, Lee Grant, Buck Henry, Meryl Streep
Starring: Albert Brooks, Lee Grant, Buck Henry, Meryl Streep, Rip Torn
Director: Albert Brooks
Director: Albert Brooks
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Reviews for Defending Your Life
The movie is funny in a warm, fuzzy way, and it has a splendidly satisfactory ending.
With Defending Your Life, Brooks has made his best, most fully realized film, a hysterical look at the afterlife.
It just gives us a satisfying idea of what life's really about, while remaining a smart comedy with an edge.
Though visually impressive, the film shows problems with tonality, which veers from outright comedy to earnest therapy session--the "seize the day" lesson is not strong enough for a full-length picture.
One of the funniest and most clever comedies that I've seen released this decade.
This is definitely Brooks's day in court, and he makes comic heaven of it.
An underrated gem that explores the long-term consequences of our everyday actions.
One of Brooks' warmest and wittiest projects. Nice to see such a soft side of Streep.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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