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DEFENDING YOUR LIFE
As far as movies go, DEFENDING YOUR LIFE is a joy. The DVD looks and sounds just fine, making it a definite acquisition for Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep fans. |
This DVD review 
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DVD
reviews are Copyright © 2001 THE CINEMA LASER and may not be copied
or reprinted without the written consent of the publisher. |
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Without
question, DEFENDING YOUR LIFE ($20) is my favorite Albert Brooks
movie. While death is not exactly a ripe topic for comedy, Brooks' humorous
take on the hereafter has plenty of appeal. Heck, if people actually went
where the main character of DEFENDING YOUR LIFE goes after their
deaths, I don't think most folks would mind dying as much as they do.
The thought of being able to eat as much of the best tasting food, as
I wanted certainly has its appeal- perhaps shuffling off this mortal coil
isn’t such a high price to pay.
In
DEFENDING YOUR LIFE, Brooks portrays Daniel Miller, an insecure,
but likable schlep. Just moments into the film, Daniel is killed in a
head on collision with a bus, while trying to pick up some CDs from the
floor of his brand new car, instead of paying attention to the road. After
his death, Daniel arrives in Judgement City, which looks very much like
the world he left behind- only nicer. As it turns out, Judgement City
is a processing center where people's lives are evaluated to determine
if they should move forward to the next level of existence, or go back
to Earth and have another crack at living. Bob Diamond (Rip Torn), who
is Daniel’s council that the evaluation process is something like a trial,
in which the recently departed must to defend the life they left behind.
How the individual dealt with fear is the criteria for the "trial."
In essence the judges have to determine if the individual was a victims
of their fears, or did they overcome their fears and lived life to its
fullest. Unfortunately, defending Daniel's life proves to be something
of a challenge, because his numerous insecurities give prosecutor Lena
Foster (Lee Grant) plenty of fodder to prove that hasn't overcome any
of his fears. Although his "trial" isn’t going that well, during
his free time Daniel finds unexpected romance with a vivacious woman named
Julia (Meryl Streep), who will definitely be moving forward.
Anyone
familiar with Albert Brooks’ other films will recognize Daniel as the
same neurotic character that the writer/director/star has played in every
other one of his movies. Of course, Brooks has perfected the character;
continually tapping what appears to be a bottomless well of material.
Meryl Streep is so wonderfully appealing as Julia that her performance
seems completely effortless. In fact, it is Streep’s exuberant portrayal
of Julia that makes DEFENDING YOUR LIFE float as though the movie
itself were lighter than air. The cast of DEFENDING YOUR LIFE also
includes Buck Henry, Mary Pat Gleason, George D. Wallace, Lillian Lehman
and Shirley MacLaine.
Warner
Home Video has made DEFENDING YOUR LIFE available on DVD in a 1.78:1
wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays.
There is no visual razzle-dazzle in the movie, so the transfer is as good
as the original photography will allow; therefore, DEFENDING YOUR LIFE
has a modestly crisp and reasonably well-defined image. Some shots are
a little soft, but it is never too bad. The colors have a relatively natural
saturation, with normal looking flesh tones. Chromatic distortion is not
a problem on this disc. Blacks seem fine and the contrast is fairly good.
The film element displays an occasional blemish and there is very little
by way of noticeable grain. Digital compression artifacts always remain
in check.
The
Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack decodes to standard surround and DEFENDING
YOUR LIFE features an unremarkable comedy mix. There is a modest amount
of channel separation in the forward soundstage, but it is clean and pronounced.
The surround channels kicks in on a few occasions to provide some ambient
fill and nice environmental sound effects. Since almost all of DEFENDING
YOUR LIFE is dialogue driven, it’s a good thing that the actors' voices
are fully intelligible. Michael Gore’s engaging score sounds pleasant
at average listening levels. A French surround track is also encoded onto
the DVD, as are English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Music
underscores the basic interactive menus, which provide access to the standard
scene selection and set up features, as well as a theatrical trailer and
cast biographies/filmographies.
