Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
Reviews
Brent Marchant
When someone helps to shift the direction of something, regardless of the milieu involved, there’s a natural inclination to want to celebrate that individual’s contributions. In the area of stand-up comedy, one of the names that frequently comes to mind is Albert Brooks (born Albert Einstein – really). In the 1970s, his inventiveness took comedy in a new direction, inspiring others to follow suit and forever changing the art form, and this new HBO documentary from Brooks’s lifelong friend, director Rob Reiner, is an apparently sincere attempt at paying tribute to the writer-actor-comedian-director. Unfortunately, this effort misses the mark in many respects (though it admittedly improves markedly in the picture’s back half). Perhaps the biggest issue here is Reiner himself; as someone who has known Brooks since high school, he’s probably too close to the material to present a balanced view of his subject. Many of his interview sequences with Brooks come across as two old friends reminiscing about the past without providing sufficient back story information for the viewers, the result being a vehicle that’s a little too “inside” for audiences to fully appreciate the point of their conversations. What’s more, the film has an annoying tendency to gush, especially when it comes to the comedian’s early routines, work that may have been cutting-edge when first introduced but that, frankly, hasn’t withstood the test of time. Toning down the hype here would help immeasurably, particularly in the film’s interview segments with peers and admirers (including such entertainment industry heavy hitters as Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes, Ben Stiller, Sarah Silverman, Larry David, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jon Stewart, Stephen Spielberg, James L. Brooks and Judd Apatow, among others), which often treat Brooks as the sole progenitor of innovative stand-up comedy. This is clearly a case of overstatement, especially since there were others at the time doing similarly inventive routines. The picture’s opening sequence, largely devoted to the foregoing, rambles along far too long, too, delaying its treatment of what works best in this documentary – an examination of Brooks’s achievements as the director of such movies as “Real Life” (1979), “Lost in America” (1985), “Defending Your Life” (1991) (his best work) and “Mother” (1996), as well as his performances in films like “Taxi Driver” (1976), “Broadcast News” (1987), “Drive” (2011) and “Concussion” (2015) and his animation voiceover work in “Finding Nemo” (2003), “Finding Dory” (2016) and his multiple appearances on the long-running TV series The Simpsons. These are the endeavors in which Brooks’s brilliance truly shines, and they generally deserve better, more complete treatment than what they receive here. Don’t get me wrong here – I’m a big fan of Brooks; however, I wish his talents and achievements had been showcased in a better film than what’s on offer here. If you really want to get to know Brooks better, watch one of his films – they’ll show you more about him than anything featured in this documentary.
Movie Recommendation
Defending Your Life1991-03-22Is there love after death? After he dies suddenly, the hapless advertising executive Daniel Miller finds himself in Judgment City, a gleaming way station where the newly deceased must prove they lived a life of sufficient courage to advance in their journey through the universe. As the self-doubting Daniel struggles to make his case, a budding relationship with the uninhibited Julia offers him a chance to finally feel alive.More...
Texasville1990-09-28Summer, 1984: 30 years after Duane captained the high school football team and Jacy was homecoming queen, this Texas town near Wichita Falls prepares for its centennial. Oil prices are down, banks are failing, and Duane's $12 million in debt. His wife Karla drinks too much, his children are always in trouble, and he tom-cats around with the wives of friends. Jacy's back in town, after a mildly successful acting career, life in Italy, and the death of her son. Folks assume Duane and Jacy will resume their high school romance. And Sonny is "tired in his mind," causing worries for his safety. Can these friends find equilibrium in middle age?More...
Isaac Asimov: A Message to the Future2022-10-05With over 500 publications to his name, from the 50’s to the 80’s, he had anticipated computers and electronic gadgets invading the household, autonomous vehicles and man’s withdrawal from nature. Science fiction and anticipation stories have never been as popular as today. It inspires literature, drama series, films, even politics and the military. As the world we live in faces an unprecedented technological acceleration, we are more concerned than ever by the issue of our future.More...
After Hours1985-09-13Desperate to escape his mind-numbing routine, uptown Manhattan office worker Paul Hackett ventures downtown for a hookup with a mystery woman.More...
High and Low1963-03-01In the midst of an attempt to take over his company, a powerhouse executive is hit with a huge ransom demand when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped by mistake.More...
The Great Escape1963-07-03The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.More...
Z1969-02-26Amid a tense political climate, the opposition leader is killed in an apparent accident. When a prosecutor smells a cover-up, witnesses get targeted. A thinly veiled dramatization of the assassination of Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis and its aftermath, “Z” captures the outrage at the US-backed junta that ruled Greece at the time of its release.More...
Band of Outsiders1964-08-05Cinephile slackers Franz and Arthur spend their days mimicking the antiheroes of Hollywood noirs and Westerns while pursuing the lovely Odile. The misfit trio upends convention at every turn, be it through choreographed dances in cafés or frolicsome romps through the Louvre. Eventually, their romantic view of outlaws pushes them to plan their own heist, but their inexperience may send them out in a blaze of glory -- which could be just what they want.More...
Dogville2003-05-21A woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado community in exchange for labor, but when a search visits the town, she learns that their support has a price.More...
Something Wild1986-11-07A free-spirited woman "kidnaps" a yuppie for a weekend of adventure. But the fun quickly takes a dangerous turn when her ex-con husband shows up.More...
New York Stories1989-03-10Get ready for a wildly diverse, star-studded trilogy about life in the big city. One of the most-talked about films in years, New York Stories features the creative collaboration of three of America's most popular directors, Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola, and Woody Allen.More...
Lilya 4-ever2002-08-23In a struggling post-Soviet community, Lilya a teenage girl is abandoned when her mother moves to the United States with her boyfriend. Facing neglect and poverty, she meets Andrei, who offers her a job in Sweden, giving her hope for a better life — and a journey that will change everything.More...
Autumn Sonata1978-10-08After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva. The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist. Over an emotional night, the pair reopen the wounds of the past. Charlotte gets another shock when she finds out that her mentally impaired daughter, Helena, is out of the asylum and living with Eva.More...
Pulp Fiction1994-09-10A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.More...
Deliverance1972-08-18Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's turned into one huge lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a river-rafting trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.More...
Opera1987-12-19A young opera singer is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.More...
Touch of Evil1958-03-30When a car bomb explodes on the American side of the U.S./Mexico border, Mexican drug enforcement agent Miguel Vargas begins his investigation, along with American police captain Hank Quinlan. When Vargas begins to suspect that Quinlan and his shady partner, Menzies, are planting evidence to frame an innocent man, his investigations into their possible corruption quickly put himself and his new bride, Susie, in jeopardy.More...
Black Sunday1960-08-11A vengeful witch, Asa Vajda, and her fiendish servant, Igor Jauvitch, return from the grave and begin a bloody campaign to possess the body of the witch's beautiful look-alike descendant: Katia. Only a handsome doctor with the help of family members stand in her way.More...
Platoon1986-12-19As a young and naive recruit in Vietnam, Chris Taylor faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.More...
Vital2004-12-11A young man awakens in the hospital after an accident wipes his memory. Fascinated by a textbook full of drawings of dissections, Hiroshi is drawn to medical school. There he catches the eye of a fellow student, but it's another who becomes his obsession: the dead woman on the cadaver table.More...
Similar Movies
Ján Langoš – strážca ...
2023-11-17There is no descriptionNežný revolucionár
2019-11-17There is no descriptionVyznanie pútnika
1983-01-01There is no descriptionMummies: Secrets of t...
2007-05-25The grail is not the gold, nor the books of ancient wisdom, but the 3,000 year old DNA of the mummies, which may lead to a cure for malaria.Martin Scorsese, l'It...
2023-12-08There is no descriptionNaked Rose
2013-04-24Among the millions of victims of the Nazi madness during the Second World War, Pierre Seel was charged with homosexuality and imprisoned in the Schirmeck concentration camp. He survived this terrifying experience of torture and humiliation, and after the war he married, had three children, and tried to live a normal life. In 1982, however, he came to terms with his past and his true nature and decided to publicly reveal what he and thousands of other homosexuals branded with the Pink Triangle had undergone during the Nazi regime. Il Rosa Nudo (Naked Rose), inspired by the true story of Pierre Seel, depicts in a theatrical and evocative way the Homocaust, focusing on the scientific theories of SS Physician Carl Peter Værnet for the treatment of homosexuality, which paved the way for the Nazi persecution of gay men.The Last Years
1963-01-02This biographical film examines the multitalented personality of Karel Čapek and the context behind the creation of his works such as Krakatit, The White Disease, R-U-R, War with the Newts, or the “pocket stories”.Karel Svoboda: Šťastn...
2020-01-16There is no descriptionDear Valued Guests
2013-02-28Forty four years ago, it seemed like a good idea to build a squat, concrete motel in downtown Columbia, Missouri. But within a few years, guests were calling for a do-over. Now, with the downtrodden building’s fate sealed, the Rabid Hands artist collective arrives on the scene as hospice workers, assisting in the passing of the building’s soul. What ensues is a New Orleans-style voodoo celebration of a previously unsung piece of architecture.Brush with Life: The ...
2007-03-03This documentary brings alive a remarkable artist’s passionate journey through a turbulent century. Both epic and surprisingly intimate, the film presents a classic American immigrant saga, an inspiring search for artistic independence, and a great romance. Along the way, Biberman's growing commitment to social justice and struggle against McCarthy-era repression (his brother, director Herbert Biberman, went to prison as one of The Hollywood Ten) combine with his efforts to create both a loving family life and a groundbreaking body of work. With its grand scope, rich personalities, and vast array of breathtaking artwork, Brush With Life connects us in a deeply personal way to a brilliant artist who lived by the same high standards he set for his paintings.Sweeney Todd: Scenes ...
1980-07-26Opening with the first day of rehearsals of the London production of "Sweeney Todd", this ninety-minute documentary focuses on the rehearsal process with the musical's director, composer and actors.Jan Cox, a Painter's ...
1988-01-01Biographical film about the life and work of the Belgian painter Jan Cox. Cox had a tempestuous youth, during which he co-founded the Jeune Peinture Belge group and worked on the fringes of the Cobra movement.The Dragon In My Drea...
2010-09-25A young man on the cusp of turning thirty sets out to find a relic from his childhood that had a hand in inspiring his obsessive imagination.A la diestra del ciel...
2007-04-12There is no descriptionJeffrey Smart
2022-08-10The story of one of Australia's greatest 20th century painters, incorporating rich archive material including rare interviews with Smart and his long-term partner Ermes De Zan.QT8: The First Eight
2019-10-21A detailed account of the life and artistic career of legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, from his early days as a video club manager to the scandalous fall in disgrace of producer Harvey Weinstein. A story about how to shoot eight great movies and become an icon of modern pop culture.The Opera Game
2019-02-03The tortured life of Paul Morphy (1850s New Orleans chess prodigy) is examined.Somebody Up There Lik...
2020-10-01Mike Figgis’ enthralling documentary about the turbulent life and career of Ronnie Wood, legendary rock guitarist and long-time member of The Rolling Stones.Freddie Mercury: A Ki...
2006-09-12Last week Freddie Mercury would have celebrated his 60th birthday. To mark the occasion, celebrity fans Robbie Williams, McFly and Mike Myers talk about what they think made him so special. Photographs, home video footage and rarely heard interviews with the man himself are featured and some of Freddie's close friends and family reveal the man behind the magic.Elton John: Tantrums ...
1997-06-25Unprecedented access into one of the world's greatest musical talents and his larger than life lifestyle: Elton John. With frank, funny, and touching filmmaking, this documentary is a fascinating and honest look at the complex character of a modern day composer and performing artist.