by Frank Calvillo
Cinapse Pick of the Week
Exactly what it sounds like, the Pick of the Week column is written up by the Cinapse team on rotation, focusing on films that are past the marketing cycle of either their theatrical release or their home video release. So maybe the pick of the week will be only a couple of years old. Or maybe it’ll be a silent film, cult classic, or forgotten gem. Cinapse is all about thoughtfully advocating film, new and old, and celebrating what we love no matter how marketable that may be. So join us as we share about what we’re discovering, and hopefully you’ll find some new films for your watch list, or some new validation that others out there love what you love too! Engage with us in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook! And now, our Cinapse Pick Of The Week…
It’s hard to find anyone who has brought such a unique comedic voice to American cinema the way Albert Brooks has. Sadly these days, the writer/director/actor may only sporadically venture behind the camera, instead preferring to venture into other genres through scene-stealing supporting roles. Yet watching a true Albert Brooks film, with its razor sharp dialogue and heightened, yet on point view of the everyday, makes a movie lover wish this weren’t so.
From the criminally small handful of films he’s made, Modern Romance and Lost in America have come to (rightfully) stand as Brooks’ calling cards. Yet if someone were to ask me what Brooks’ most hilarious and poetic turn has been so far, I would hands down give that title to his 1991 feature Defending Your Life.
On his 40th birthday, advertising executive Daniel Miller (Brooks) is driving down the streets of Los Angeles in his new convertible when a sudden car accident ends his life. When Daniel awakens, he finds himself dressed in a white robe and slippers in a resort-like world called Judgement City. Upon meeting attorney Bob Diamond (Rip Torn), Daniel is informed that he is to be his attorney in a hearing where the various actions of Daniel’s life will be examined to determine whether or not he has displayed enough truth and bravery throughout his life to proceed onto heaven. If it is proven by opposing counsel Lena Foster (Lee Grant) that he hasn’t, Daniel must return back to earth to live his life over again. In the meantime, Daniel must remain in Judgement City where every restaurant offers huge helpings of food without the threat of gaining weight, and places such as the “past lives pavillion” offer guests the opportunity to relax as their eternal fates are determined. When Daniel encounters the lovely and courageous Julia (Meryl Streep), he is smitten, but fears that the actions of his life will not be enough for him to get into heaven with her.
This being an Albert Brooks comedy, naturally there’s an overflow of hilarious one-liners throughout Defending Your Life which kick off instantly and never let up. When Daniel realizes the nature of what he must face in judgement city, he asks Diamond, “So I’m on trial for being afraid?” to which the lawyer responds, “Well, first of all, I don’t like to call it a trial. Second of all, yes.” Sometimes the lines are so sudden and from unexpected sources, like when an recently deceased old woman traveling on a tram notices Daniel, she says to him, “You’re so young. AIDS?”
The comedy never takes a pause even during the scenes featuring Daniel and Julia’s budding romance. “Did you ever notice that you carry yourself very stiffly?” Julia asks Daniel, to which he replies, “Leave me alone, I’m dead.” Just as hilarious is the first time Daniel walks Julia back to her hotel. Every hotel in Judgement City differs in quality and guests are assigned to a specific hotel according to how fearless they were in their lives. When Daniel walks Julia into her hotel’s lobby, he asks with wonder, “This is your hotel?” Julia replies that it is and asks, “Why? Where are you staying?” Looking around the lobby, Daniel replies, “Obviously the place for people who weren’t very generous and didn’t adopt anybody. Come over one day. We’ll paint it.”
There’s something incredibly meaningful behind the film’s idea of actually defending your life. Self-examination in any way, shape or form is a tough and intimidating prospect, no matter who the person is. Surely this is because we’ve all got times and moments in our lives which we are afraid to relive for fear of having to acknowledge how we let them determine the lives we led. Equally terrifying is the realization that the moments we categorized as miniscule and insignificant played greater roles in shaping who we became as individuals. Part of me loves the idea of Judgement City, but another part of me actually wonders if I’m more Daniel, using a trusty cynicism to mask a fear of putting myself out there, or if I’m Julia: confident, self-assured, and willing to embrace life.
Besides its high-concept plot and funny dialogue, Defending Your Life is a surprisingly delightful romantic comedy. The romance that blossoms between Daniel and Julia is indeed a joy to watch, especially in the way Daniel truly embraces who he is as a result of the feeling he gets from the enchanting Julia. Daniel sums it up in classic Brooks style when he states, “I always read that you had to be OK with yourself first before you could be OK with another person. Now I feel OK with you. But I don’t know how OK I was with myself before I met you, so maybe you’re making me OK.” Whether its because she represents the kind of person he never was when he was alive or because she sees through all of the hang-ups and insecurities, watching Daniel and Julia fall in love with one another is the hidden treasure of Defending Your Life.
In his first leading role since Broadcast News, Brooks is expectedly flawless as Daniel, and his trademark comic timing and delivery is right on cue. Very few can play hapless, frustrated, AND cynical simultaneously the way Brooks can, reaffirming his unofficial title as the West Coast Woody Allen. He’s ably supported by Torn, Grant, and Buck Henry (in a hilarious cameo), all of whom give fun, comic turns.
But its his scenes with Streep which prove the loveliest in Defending Your Life thanks to a sweet, if unexpected, chemistry. The two actors are about as far apart as can be in terms of technique, yet Streep’s playful giddiness proves an equal match for the golden deadpan Brooks provides. Who would have thought Streep would be good at playing the perfect woman?
Although it was a total flop at the box office, Defending Your Life earned Books some of the best critical acclaim of his career. Critics praised the film’s high-concept plot as well as Brooks’ trademark humor. Today, Defending Your Life proudly boasts a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, if you’re into those kinds of statistics.
Yet some people who have seen Defending Your Life have taken slight umbrage with it and the idea that an individual should have to defend the everyday actions each person is entitled to make while alive. While that criticism is fair to a point, it doesn’t come close to summarizing what Brooks’ film is about. In the final analysis, Defending Your Life asks its audience one simple question: do you have the courage needed to actually LIVE your life?