Defending Your Life (1991)

In an afterlife way station resembling a block of hotels, the lives of the recently-deceased are examined in a court-like setting.

Director:

Albert Brooks

Writer:

Albert Brooks

Stars:

Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep, Rip Torn

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Albert Brooks	...	Daniel Miller
Michael Durrell	...	Agency Head
James Eckhouse	...	Jeep Owner
Gary Beach	...	Car Salesman
Julie Cobb	...	Tram Guide
Peter Schuck	...	Stan
Time Winters	...	Porter
Rip Torn	...	Bob Diamond
Sharlie Stuart	...	Susan
Beth Black	...	Soap Opera Woman
Clayton Norcross	...	Soap Opera Man
James MacKrell	...	Game Show Moderator
Wil Albert	...	Game Show Contestant
Sage Allen	...	Game Show Contestant
Mary Pat Gleason	...	Waitress

Storyline

Yuppie Daniel Miller is killed in a car accident and goes to Judgment City, a waiting room for the afterlife. During the day, he must prove in a courtroom-style process that he successfully overcame his fears (a hard task, given the pitiful life we are shown); at night, he falls in love with Julia, the only other young person in town. Nights are a time of hedonistic pleasure, since you can (for instance) eat all you want without getting fat.

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Plot Keywords:

fear | courage | courtroom | past life | chainsaw | 

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Taglines:

The first true story of what happens after you die.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

5 April 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Visa al paraíso

Filming Locations:

770 The City Drive, Orange, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$16,371,128

Company Credits

Production Co:

Geffen Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Defending Your Life was released around six months after Postcards from the Edge, a film-a-clef loosely based on the real-life experiences of mother and daughter Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Both stars had been close to Albert Brooks since his high school days, and remained so through the production of Postcards. Fisher scripted that movie, and it co-starred Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine. Brooks himself then tapped Streep and MacLaine for Defending Your Life, his next project. Reynolds teamed up with Brooks five years later; she had a critically-acclaimed starring role in his comedy Mother (1996).

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Goofs

In the Past Lives Pavilion, as the subjects walk to their viewing booths, the overhead asks them to proceed to the "first available booth on the left." The subjects actually proceed to the last available booth.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Daniel Miller: I was driving to work this morning thinking I will be here, in 2 months, it'll be 10 years. And you're like my real family. Isn't that tragic.
[laughter]
Daniel Miller: I got a call from my mother this morning, she wished me a happy birthday, and hinted around the fact that I wasn't making enough money. If you can call "are ya still making the same salary, honey" a hint. And my ex-wife used to say the same thing, although she never used the name "honey".
[laughter]
Daniel Miller: So, maybe in three years I can ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Oh! Heavenly Dog (2016)

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Soundtracks

Home on the Range
(uncredited)
Written by Brewster M. Higley and Daniel E. Kelley
Arranged by David W. Guion
Performed by Albert Brooks

User Reviews

Sweet and highly entertaining.

A wonderful comedy-fantasy that has all the wit of a good Woody Allen movie combined with genuine sweetness and good-naturedness. It's one of those rare films that achieve profundity without pushing for it; here it is done with the help of the clever structure. Albert Brooks delivers some great one-liners and wins the audience's affection easily, while Meryl Streep is atypically unaffected and Lee Grant is excellent in her supporting role. And who could ask for a better ending? (***)