Defending Your Life
1991 · Movie · PG · 111 min · ★ 6.9 · 80% critics
After he dies suddenly, a self-doubting advertising executive is sent to Judgment City, a gleaming way station where the newly deceased must prove they lived with enough courage to move onward. While he struggles through the process, a spirited connection with a fellow newcomer helps him feel alive again.
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Details
- Years
- 1991
- Release date
- 1991-03-22
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Critic score
- 80/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (308 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this clever, lighthearted afterlife romance if you like witty, low-key courtroom-style soul-searching and uplifting themes; Not for you if you want nonstop jokes, logical consistency, or darker stakes, especially if you prefer more straightforward options like Heart and Souls.
Pros: quirky afterlife premise; Dry comedy; Sweet romance | Cons: sometimes dated jokes; Slow stretches; Uneven tone
Themes
- afterlife
- allegory
- prosecution
- heaven
- satire
- reincarnation
- car accident
- courtroom
- advertising agency
- past life
Cast & crew
Albert Brooks
as Daniel Miller
Meryl Streep
as Julia
Rip Torn
as Bob Diamond
Lee Grant
as Lena Foster
Michael Durrell
as Agency Head
James Eckhouse
as Jeep Owner
Gary Beach
as Car Salesman
Julie Cobb
as Tram Guide
- PS
Peter Schuck
as Stan
Time Winters
as Porter
Directed by Albert Brooks