FEATURE FILM

Defending Your Life

6.9/10
TMDB337 votes
Original: 111 min

Is there love after death? After he dies suddenly, the hapless advertising executive Daniel Miller finds himself in Judgment City, a gleaming way station where the newly deceased must prove they lived a life of sufficient courage to advance in their journey through the universe. As the self-doubting Daniel struggles to make his case, a budding relationship with the uninhibited Julia offers him a chance to finally feel alive.

Genres: , , ,
Cast: , , , ,

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THE STORY & THE PEOPLE

About Defending Your Life

The first true story of what happens after you die.

Defending Your Life (1991) is a film in the romance, fantasy, comedy, drama genres. Directed by . The cast includes Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep, Rip Torn, Lee Grant.

Released
Original language
Runtime
111 minutes
Status
Released
Production countries
United States of America
Production companies
Geffen Pictures
Directors
Writers
Albert Brooks

Defending Your Life cast & characters

Audience reviews

6.9/10 from 337 TMDB votes. Ratings and reviews are supplied by TMDB. Reviews are attributed to their original authors.

GenerationofSwine

TMDB member review

I remember when I was 12 or so, I woke up incredibly early (thank you Chicago Tribune TV Guide for helping me with missions like that) and went into the basement to record this off HBO. Then, shortly after I hit record I fell asleep on the couch and had the strangest freaking dream of my childhood because of the title of this film. Had nothing to do with the movie, I just remember it to this day so I'm rambling…

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I remember when I was 12 or so, I woke up incredibly early (thank you Chicago Tribune TV Guide for helping me with missions like that) and went into the basement to record this off HBO. Then, shortly after I hit record I fell asleep on the couch and had the strangest freaking dream of my childhood because of the title of this film. Had nothing to do with the movie, I just remember it to this day so I'm rambling about it. Really though, it has a message, there is a moral to the story, but you aren't watching it for that. And when I was 11 or 12 I didn't record it for that. No, you're watching it because Albert Brooks is pretty funny and the film seems quirky and light hearted. And, honestly, it delivers. It's one of those increasingly rare films that announces what kind of movie that it is, makes promises for a happy ending, and delivers on it. There aren't really any surprises, you assume how the movie is going to end before you even sit down to watch it, and you're only really watching it in the first place because you feel the need to see that kind of story. And it delivers. It's fun in a quirky, dry, and understated way. It brings you into a fun little world, and it hits all the marks it promised to in the trailer, comedy, romance, happy ending. Everything else is just icing.

Questions about Defending Your Life

What is Defending Your Life about?

Is there love after death? After he dies suddenly, the hapless advertising executive Daniel Miller finds himself in Judgment City, a gleaming way station where the newly deceased must prove they lived a life of sufficient courage to advance in their journey through the universe. As the self-doubting Daniel struggles to make his case, a budding relationship with the uninhibited Julia offers him a chance to finally feel alive.

Who stars in Defending Your Life?

Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep, Rip Torn, Lee Grant, Michael Durrell, James Eckhouse. See the cast cards above for character names.

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