RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Real Life
Real Life

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Real Life (1979)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
87 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:15

Fresh:13

Rotten:2

Average Rating:6.9/10

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Satirist Albert Brooks makes his directorial debut in this hilarious mockumentary that focuses on the day-to-day life of a "typical" American family. Brooks plays himself, a producer who pitches a... Satirist Albert Brooks makes his directorial debut in this hilarious mockumentary that focuses on the day-to-day life of a "typical" American family. Brooks plays himself, a producer who pitches a movie concept about filming a real American family for one year and editing it into a movie. Backed up by a team of psychologists and a respected institute dealing with human behavior, he promises not to let the cameras interfere in any way in their lives. But the problems begin on day one, and Brooks desperately tries to hold his project together. Obsessed with presenting what's "real," he is soon convinced that real life isn't exciting enough for film. Brooks mercilessly parodies the Hollywood persona in this sharp satire of the entertainment industry that presages such later films as EDTV and THE TRUMAN SHOW as well as the television shows THE REAL WORLD, BIG BROTHER, and SURVIVOR. [More]

Starring: Albert Brooks, Charles Grodin, Frances Lee McCain, J.A. Preston

Starring: Albert Brooks, Charles Grodin, Frances Lee McCain, J.A. Preston, Matthew Tobin, James L. Brooks, David Spielberg, Adam Grant

Director: Albert Brooks, Penelope Spheeris

Director: Albert Brooks
Screenwriter: Albert Brooks, Monica Johnson, Harry Shearer
Composer: Mort Lindsey
Director: Penelope Spheeris

[See More Credits]

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Feb 13, 2001

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Real Life

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 15 (sorted by date)
Text View
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Albert Brooks is so deft at showing how filmmaking distorts the very reality it aims to record honestly that it's hard to watch family documentaries anymore without thinking about Real Life.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
11/01/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Though amusing in spots, it goes too far with its one-note joke until it becomes abrasive.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/15/06
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Brooks messes with the genre from the start, spouting pseudoscience about how the filmmakers found their test subjects (led by a spot-on Charles Grodin).

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
02/07/06
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Mr. Brooks is at his most droll.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/09/05
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Albert Brooks's first and funniest feature.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
04/12/05
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Mock-umentary predates reality shows, still funny.

comment Comment
12/27/04
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

Albert Brooks just before he became great.

comment Comment
12/21/04
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
06/23/04
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

A great, underrated, lost gem of a film that accurately predicted and lampooned reality television long before it ever came to be.

comment Comment
02/04/04
Larry Carroll
Larry Carroll
Countingdown.com

No review available.

comment Comment
01/31/04
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

Real Life is funy in spots but is remarkable mostly for its Socratic open-endedness.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
01/27/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Brooks's directorial debut is also one of his best movies, largely due to the funny man's trademark multitasking as writer, actor and helmer.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film

No review available.

comment Comment
03/27/03
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

No review available.

comment Comment
11/18/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

There's a little bit of genuine prescience, inspiration, and intelligence coursing through its veins, but mostly that smattering of each just makes you crave more.

Full Review Source: MovieMartyr.com | comment Comment
08/28/02
Jeremy Heilman
Jeremy Heilman
MovieMartyr.com
 
 
1 - 15 (sorted by date)
Text View
See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Avatar

Avatar

Watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes video!

Box Office

Box Office

New Moon #1, breaks TDK records

RT's Gift Guide

RT's Gift Guide

Give the best movies, gear, and more!

Ninja Assassin

Ninja Assassin

Learn to train like a ninja in this clip!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
8
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
106
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
  • Forbes Names Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors Source: Forbes
20
  • Chris Weitz Says He's (Almost) Done with Directing Source: Film School Rejects
26
  • Spider-Man 4 Casting Rumors Multiply Like Rabbits Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
51
  • McTeigue Says Superman Is "In a Weird Place" Source: MTV
204
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
161
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
129
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Twilight's New Moon Dazzle?
97
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
74
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
53
  • Five Favorite Films with Werner Herzog
50
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
35
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
31
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Angels & Demons, Funny People, and Superman
11
  • Ho, ho, ho! It's RT's Great Big Gift Guide!
0
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
0
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
8
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
19
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
6
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
16
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Real Life at Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh Links

Featured
Star Trek DVD Exclusive
Star Trek DVD Exclusive External Link

TECHLAND gives us a first look at the extras, including Leonard Nimoy's last day on set!

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

New Moon Portraits
New Moon Portraits External Link

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

Unsexiest Men Alive
Unsexiest Men Alive External Link

Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.