Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 6, 1991 TAG: 9104060441
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In his best movies, "Modern Romance" and "Lost In America," Brooks put an off-center spin on contemporary manners and life. Now he examines the afterlife - with mixed results. Judged strictly as a comedy, "Defending Your Life" has some very funny moments. Writer/director/star Brooks creates some sharply drawn characters and he handles potential cliches with originality.
At the same time, though, there's a cool distance or lack of passion to the film. It's almost as if the story were packed in cotton. It's muffled, never quite as bright or sharp as it could be.
Daniel Miller (Brooks) is a moderately successful ad man. He can afford to buy himself a bottom-of-the-line BMW convertible for his birthday, and that leads directly to his untimely demise. After an accident, Daniel wakes up to find himself on the way to Judgment City.
Neither heaven nor hell, Judgment City is a celestial theme park, the hereafter as conceived and managed by Disney. Visitors are shuffled from place to place on trams; they stand in long lines; they eat a lot. The bland staff members smile continuously.
The purpose of Judgment City, Daniel learns, is to decide which souls have to return to Earth and which move on to a higher plane. In his case, the decision will be made by a two-judge court. He'll be defended by Bob Diamond (Rip Torn). Lena Foster (Lee Grant) is the prosecutor who's trying to prove that Daniel doesn't quite measure up.
In the middle of his trial, Daniel meets another recently arrived visitor, Julia (Meryl Streep). They are attracted to each other but it quickly becomes obvious that she's receiving better treatment than he is.
Brooks avoids most of the obvious jokes, though his trip to the "Hall of Past Lives" borders on the moronic. He makes good use of the ordinary-yet-eerie sets. He never resorts to the mindless profanity that replaces humor in so many movies. His all-star supporting cast is flawless. The main problem is the character of Daniel.
As written and acted by Brooks, he's a lump. When we learn about Daniel's earthly existence during his trial, we realize that he's always been a lump. He's not particularly smart or stupid, cruel or kind, greedy or charitable. He simply reacts to things that happen around him.
His passivity slows the action and dampens the humor. But even so, "Defending Your Life" is still smart and ingeniously put together. These are hard times for good comedies and when one comes along that's aimed at a mature audience, it's hard to be too critical.
\ `Defending Your Life' **1/2 (maybe **3/4) A Geffen Pictures release playing at the Tanglewood Mall theaters (989-6165). 110 minutes. Rated PG for some strong language.
by CNB