I believe that Albert Brooks is an acquired taste; From "Mother" with Debbie Reynolds to his earlier films "Lost in America" and "Modern Romance", his films have been hit or miss with me. This one is a hit. Funny, spiritual, life affirming and filled with truths that are sometimes hard to face, it is what I refer to as a popcorn movie where the air is already buttery enough to add the flavor and prevent the fat. It's a chance for Meryl Streep to show a lighter side, pretty much not act, and just be. Why this wonderful character had to die so young leaving children behind is tragedy in itself, but as we've heard heaven to be described (for those of us who believe that it exists),she has a light hearted attitude that makes it clear that she's already an angel watching over her children, and for her eternity, she's going to have whatever kind of friendship with the other heavenly newbie, Albert Brooks, that heaven allows.

The story focuses on Brooks, having been killed in a car crash while looking down from the steering wheel trying to pick up a CD (a warning for those who text or talk on the phone while they drive....),and his entry into the preliminary entrance of heaven is filled with a mystery. Will he be able to make it out of the courts of heaven, or will he be doomed for the other alternative that is given (presumably reincarnation, no real mention of hell is given),looking doubtful thanks to the tough attorney in favor of sending him back. By chance, he meets Streep, is overwhelmed by her lovely, self effacing nature, and while she goes through her hearing with no issues, it's his that is in question, which threatens to separate this odd couple before she can even get on the tram for her final stop in the world of eternal life.

There are tidbits of heavenly magic here; All you can eat pasta with seafood that does not make you fat (makes me not want to sin right there just thinking about it),other worldly comics who comment on "This is the first day of the end of your life", and a visit to a hall of reincarnation where a surprise guest star mocks their own self image by hosting what Streep, Brooks and a bunch of others get to see themselves in as having been prior to their last life. Streep hands the film over to Brooks who goes out of his way to get the majority of the jokes, but her reacting to him only makes her seem better.

Veteran actors Rip Torn and Lee Grant are the defense and prosecutor in Brooks' case, and while Torn is easy going and the kind of guy you could play golf with on a sunny Saturday morning, Grant is a ball-busting tough feminist style "take no prisoners" shark. As footage from his life, displaying his lack of courage in taking risk, is exposed, you might fear what would come out in your own hearing, although for me, simple atonement and the realization of the sin of "oops" helps me get past that embarrassment. The writing is brilliant, satirical, not in favor of any one religion, but definitely spiritual in nature to where it uses the freedom of one's own mind to allow the viewer to agree or disagree with what's going on, yet never becoming aggressive in its views of what they are telling us to expect in the great beyond. For that, I have a great deal of respect for this movie which is simple light entertainment, but really has a lot to make its audience open up the ideas of what's more important than the temporary lives we live on earth.

Film auteur Albert Brooks creates a whole new concept of an afterlife with Defending Your Life where apparently the big sin is not to be courageous enough. At least that was his big sin. One wonders how the scrutiny was on other candidates.

No such thing as hell. We just keep coming back until we get it right. As Rip Torn has it there are folks that keep coming back into triple digits. Those are who you don't want to hang out with. Draw your own conclusions.

So when Brooks his hit by a bus in a traffic accident head on, we next see him on the Tramway to Judgment City. That was an interesting concept as well. It looks like our concept of heaven is quite earthly. It's better than flying around on a cloud playing a harp that could get boring after a while. I wonder what Judgment City looked like in 1491 instead of 1991. Or even 491. The Oriental people would have understood it better as reincarnation was part of their religions.

Brooks dies young and he's among a group of new arrivals who've lived out their allotted measure and he's got nine days in Judgment City the Las Vegas of the celestial plane with a bunch of senior citizens. But he gets a stroke of dubious luck when he meets Meryl Streep one of the only young people in the recent arrivals. They have nine days to make the most of it.

But that's at night and by day both of them have to be Defending Your Life before a celestial tribunal with a pair evenly matched adversaries, Rip Torn as Brooks's defense attorney and Lee Grant as the prosecutor. These two go at it over Brooks the way Ronald Colman and Vincent Price duel over the fate of man in The Story Of Mankind.

In the end Brooks proves maybe he has what it takes.

I found this a strangely unsettling film. I kept thinking of that Broadway show tune from Texas Little Darlin', The Big Picture Show In The Sky. The idea of a hidden camera taking video of you is quite unsettling. No such a thing as a right to privacy. Looks like God has us all on a smartphone that has eternally charged batteries.

And also having a sister who died young makes one wonder what her fate might have been. I can say that if she didn't make it to the higher plane no one did or should.

Defending Your Life is an interesting and funny film, but might be as unsettling for other viewers as it was for me.

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.