Sometimes its all about the star. This film would probably not have been on our radar but for my desire to show the boys a Meryl Streep performance. This may not be one of Streep's best films, but it is probably one of her best family-friendly ones. (I never realized, until I started researching for our viewing, but the actress does seem to do mostly R-rated, adult-humor, or highly depressing stuff.)
Specs:
Almost 2 hours; rated PG
Our family's average rating on a scale from 1-10:
7.75
More about the film and our reaction to it:
IMDB's opening comments cut right to the chase: "Considered by many critics to be the greatest living actress, Meryl Streep has been nominated for the Academy Award an astonishing 19 times, and has won it three times."
No one will claim that Defending Your Life is a career highlight for the actress, but it is an enjoyable and very imaginative film that we would recommend. And Streep is, as always, simply brilliant to watch.
No one will claim that Defending Your Life is a career highlight for the actress, but it is an enjoyable and very imaginative film that we would recommend. And Streep is, as always, simply brilliant to watch.
Like Heaven Can Wait, Defending Your Life has a quirky, funny take on the mechanics of the afterlife; like Heaven Can Wait, DYL also has a talented cast and skilled director with a vision, in this case Albert Brooks, who was something of a god of funny at this time. This in fact may be one of his best films.
The movie is set in Judgement City -- a place where folks go when they die and are sorted into movers-on and goers-back. While there, inmates are able to indulge themselves in many ways -- including eating whatever they want (and not getting fat), and lounging in hotel rooms that offer different levels of luxurious accommodation depending on your status upon entering the City.) Brooks (who acts, writes and directs here) and Streep play recently deceased people who have entered the City, are meeting with their case managers, and are in process of learning how the afterlife works. Their fundamental task is, as the film title implies, to prove that they lived their lives fully -- with passion, compassion and bravery, a task that is easier for Streep's character to complete than Brooks'.
Besides being funny, the film is actually quite important. I mean, the concepts behind it are not trivial at all. Brooks' skill with the topic is what makes the film as good as it is. He makes it so the viewer can fall into a state of philosophical introspection while laughing happily and falling in love. That's not an easy trick.
There are some parent-warnings that should be made however. Aside from the very nature of film and the topic of death handled irreverently (which may or may not comport with your family's values), there is a fair amount of dialog with sexual references, including penis-envy, STDs, pornography. This stuff doesn't make up much of the film, but is worth mentioning.
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