On Criterion, I watched Albert Brooks’ 1991 fantasy romantic comedy Defending Your Life, that he wrote, directed, and starred in, and adored it. I had seen some of it many years ago, just stumbling upon it and liking it as an unusual movie.
Albert Brooks plays Daniel, an auto exec who dies in a car accident and ends up in an “in between” place, a paradise called Judgement City, where for five days, his life will be reviewed in a hearing with lawyers and judges, determining whether if he lived his life to the fullest, without fear holding him back, and whether he goes on to the next spiritual realm, or is reincarnated into another life on Earth to do it again to get it right. So with Rip Torn as his lawyer, and Lee Grant as the prosecutor, Daniel has to look back on scenes in his life where he let fear hold him back, like refusing to fight back with a bully in childhood, to accepting a lowball salary in his adulthood.
Albert Brooks is really great at playing anxious characters that have more layers and depth than just being neurotic worriers. He confronts the lawyers on their black and white views of the world, not having lived in his world where there is more gray area or risk with confronting fears.
He meets Julia, played by Meryl Streep, who had been a loving wife and mother, and led a generally good life, and has more smooth sailings with her hearing than Daniel does. She has this lovely glow, where she already looks like she would ascend to becoming an angel, and her charm wins Daniel over, and they have this sweet romance amid eating delicious feasts in their brief stays, and Daniel has to confront his fears of expressing his love for Julia, knowing how fleeting this all is, and worrying about hurting her or spoiling things.
I found this movie to be really romantic and funny and unique, and enjoyed watching a romantic comedy starring middle-aged people who actually look middle-aged, looking like regular people. This was just really touching to watch.
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