While driving his brandy new BMW, the yuppie Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks) distracts with his CD player and crash a bus. He awakes in the Judgment City, a place in the afterlife where his accomplishment in life will be judged to decide whether he shall move on or return to another life on Earth. With support of the defender Bob Diamond (Rip Torn), Daniel must prove that he has overcame the fears of his previous life, but the tough prosecutor Lena Foster (Lee Grant) has evidences showing that Daniel was a coward. Meanwhile Daniel meets the enlightened Julia (Meryl Streep) that has had a perfect life and will certainly move on to the next step of her journey; however, they fall in love for each other and Daniel does not want to lose his true love.
"Defending Your Life" is a delightfully cute and pleasant romance with an original story about the afterlife. This is maybe the best movie of the annoying Albert Brook, and Meryl Streep is adorable as I have never seen before in the role of a woman that had a perfect life on Earth. I saw this film in 1991 and only today I have decided to see it again, and surprisingly the timeless tale has not aged. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Um Visto para o Céu" ("A Visa to the Heaven")
Note: On 20 February 2021, I saw this film again.
"Defending Your Life" is a delightfully cute and pleasant romance with an original story about the afterlife. This is maybe the best movie of the annoying Albert Brook, and Meryl Streep is adorable as I have never seen before in the role of a woman that had a perfect life on Earth. I saw this film in 1991 and only today I have decided to see it again, and surprisingly the timeless tale has not aged. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Um Visto para o Céu" ("A Visa to the Heaven")
Note: On 20 February 2021, I saw this film again.