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Movies / On DVD / Real Life
Real Life

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Real Life (1979)

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87 %
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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]

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Release:

Feb 13, 2001

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Real Life

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1 - 15 (sorted by date)
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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
 
 
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