Thursday, November 19, 2015

Defending Your Life (1991)

I really should hate this movie. It's a high concept comedy, shot in an unremarkable style, designed as a showcase for one man's comedic sensibilities, that turns poignant at the end. I just described every single Adam Sandler or Kevin James film. But this is an Albert Brooks film. Rather than using a mere 3% of its brain, this film uses the whole damn thing. It's funny, it's thoughtful and it's also rather romantic. While no explanation is needed for why Albert Brooks falls for Meryl Streep, we really shouldn't buy how quickly Streep falls for Brooks. But thanks to their performances and the writing and the filmmaking, we get it. We are in love too. This film shouldn't work, but it does! It leaves me with all sorts of warm, optimistic, hopeful feelings. It makes the fear go away.

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