Daniel Miller (played by Albert Brooks) is celebrating his birthday by picking up a new BMW convertible he just bought. He doesn't get far though when driving it home he leans over to grab a CD case that slid off the seat and winds up accidentally drifting into oncoming traffic (while "Something's Coming" sung by Barbara Streisand ironically plays on the car radio no less) and gets hit by an oncoming bus. Daniel suddenly finds himself arriving somewhere new, yet strangely familiar called Judgement City. It's a purgatory of sorts where the recently deceased have their life evaluated by a panel of judges to determine if a person is ready to move on to the next level of existence or if they need to go back to Earth for another try. All of this is explained to him by his defender, Bob Diamond (played by Rip Torn). The proceedings, while they insist it's not a trial, is certainly set up like one with two judges and a prosecutor, Lena Foster (played by Lee Grant). Over the course of the next nine days, they will be revisiting moments from Daniel's life to determine if he conquered fear, viewing each moment on a giant screen. In the meantime, he'll stay in one of the hotels in the city, be able to indulge in as much of the fine foods the city has to offer (without worrying about gaining weight!), and enjoy the many attractions, including a past lives pavilion, where people can go and see what their past lives were. Things get complicated when he meets Julia (played by Meryl Streep) and sparks begin to fly between the two. But as it becomes clear to Daniel that she'll be able to move forward and he becomes increasingly convinced he's going to be sent back to Earth, he finds himself at a crossroads whether or not to continue feeling they would just be separated in the end.
Albert Brooks wrote and directed the film and created a really unique vision for the afterlife. The area it takes place in, Judgement City, looks very much like any other city in America, as was the goal, except all the guests there awaiting Judgement are transported around on a series of Trams (like on the old Universal Studios tours), from destination to destination. The main concept of having to defend the choices you've made during your time on Earth in an attempt to prove you concurred fear is an intriguing concept that I imagine any viewer can relate to. It's certainly something that has stuck with me ever since I first saw the film. The film also has a decidedly sweeter tone over the earlier films Albert Brooks had made, keeping the film a lightweight romantic comedy for the most part. The film is very funny though, finding a lot of humor in very interesting places. One detail is the residents of Judgement City use a far higher percentage of their brain than the people from Earth, calling the folks from Earth "Little Brains" no less. Apparently, those on Earth only use 3-5% of their brains ("Any more than that an you won't want to live on Earth, believe me," explains Bob). And of course, the idea that purgatory is made of chain hotels (and the better of a life you led, the better the hotel, apparently) and office parks is low-key hilarious. The dialogue is also expectedly witty for an Albert Brooks film and given the film's fantastical premise, he takes it even further. A prime example is Bob's excuse for missing the prior day's hearing, "I was trapped near the inner circle of fault," with no elaboration.
The performances in the film are quite good. Albert Brooks is great in the lead role of Daniel and does a great job of portraying Daniel's wide-eyed befuddlement with what the afterlife is, as well as his character's own insecurities and especially his inner turmoil towards the end when he becomes convinced his trial isn't going to go his way. He also has a nice, easy going chemistry with Meryl Streep, who exudes warmth in her role as Julia. Rip Torn easily steals the show as Bob Diamond. He fills the character with such a jolly, irascible charm as he tries to ferry Daniel from one plane of existence to another. He delivers even the worst news in an upbeat and reassuring manner. It's a fantastic performance that is burned into my mind when it comes to him. Lee Grant makes for a worthy adversary to the upbeat Bob Diamond and their verbal sparring in the court room is fantastic.
Defending Your Life is definitely my favorite of Albert Brooks' films. It's a warm and breezy romantic comedy and for a movie about the afterlife it's surprisingly hopeful. It's a witty film that is hard to dislike from the beginning to a real great ending. With three fantastic performances from Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep and Rip Torn, it's an easy one to recommend.
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