Defending Your Life
Short description
Daniel Miller is an advertising executive who dies in a car crash on his birthday and wakes up in Judgment City, a way station for the recently deceased. There, a celestial court reviews his life and decides whether he has shown enough courage to move on to the next stage of his existence. As the case unfolds, Daniel meets Julia, a woman with whom he forms a connection that gives him a new reason to want to stay.
Albert Brooks directed, wrote and stars in this 1991 comedy-drama, which sits between his directorial debut Real Life and his later film The Muse. Meryl Streep plays Julia, with Rip Torn, Lee Grant, Michael Durrell and James Eckhouse among a credited cast of 75. Produced by Michael Grillo for Warner Bros. Pictures and Geffen Pictures on a budget of 20 million dollars, it earned 16 million worldwide.
On IMDb the film holds a 6.9 rating from 329 votes, while its critics' rating stands at 7.8 from 43 reviews, a notable gap in which reviewers were more positive than audiences. The mix of fantasy, romance and courtroom comedy, along with its two leads, defines a film that uses an afterlife bureaucracy as the setting for a love story.
What's left behind the scenes
- One episode takes place in a club where a comedian asks the main character how he died. The character, played by Albert Brooks, replies that he died on stage. In reality, Harry Einstein, Brooks' father, passed away on stage right after finishing his act.
- The film features vintage tram models rented from Universal Studios Hollywood (a film studio and theme park in California).
- Shirley MacLaine's appearance in a cameo role was not originally planned. When the director and screenwriter offered the cameo to Warren Beatty, he declined as he was busy filming the thriller 'Dick Tracy' (1990), but suggested that Brooks cast his sister, MacLaine, in one of the roles. Brooks agreed.
- Albert Brooks wanted someone from the cast of 'Easy Rider' (Dennis Hopper, 1969) to play the role of Bob. He first offered it to Hopper himself, but he declined due to his schedule. The offer was then made to Jack Nicholson, but he was also busy. After that, Brooks recalled that before the role in 'Easy Rider' was given to Nicholson, it had been planned for Rip Torn (Torn was removed from the film's cast at the time because he had threatened Hopper with a knife). Brooks offered the role of Bob to Torn, and he accepted. Torn was later cast as Artie in the comedy series 'The Larry Sanders Show' (1992-1998) because one of the producers noticed the similarity between Brooks' fictional Bob and Artie.
- According to the original script, a surname had been created for Meryl Streep's character, but the actress herself suggested to Albert Brooks that the surname not be mentioned to add an air of mystery to the character. Brooks agreed and changed the script.
- The role of Lena Foster was offered to Jane Fonda, but she had retired from acting a year earlier following the failure of Martin Ritt's melodrama 'Stanley & Iris' (1989). She would not return to acting until the romantic comedy 'Monster-in-Law' (Robert Luketic, 2005).
- Director and screenwriter Albert Brooks at one point considered casting Peter Fonda as Bob. However, he was dissuaded on the grounds that Fonda had not had any notable roles since appearing in Dennis Hopper's adventure drama Easy Rider (1969), and that Fonda's presence in the cast would not add to the film's popularity. The role went to Rip Torn.
- Albert Brooks initially offered the role of Lena Foster to actress Audrey Hepburn. She had last appeared on screen in a supporting role in Steven Spielberg's melodrama Always (1989) and had already retired from acting to become a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She rejected the offer, and the role went to Lee Grant.
- Director and screenwriter Albert Brooks met Meryl Streep at a party hosted by Carrie Fisher and asked if she would agree to act in his film. The actress agreed.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
