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Defending Your Life (1991)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:25
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.6/10
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
Reviews for Defending Your Life
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.
An underrated gem that explores the long-term consequences of our everyday actions.
It just gives us a satisfying idea of what life's really about, while remaining a smart comedy with an edge.
One of Brooks' warmest and wittiest projects. Nice to see such a soft side of Streep.
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