"Defending Your Life" is a very entertaining romantic comedy starring Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep. The movie concerns the afterlife. According to the film, once someone dies, they're taken to a place called Judgment City where they go on trial to determine whether they move on to Heaven or return to Earth for another shot. Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep both do a terrific job in this film.
Daniel Miller (Brooks) is a rather ordinary man who dies in a car accident one day on his birthday. Shortly thereafter, he appears in a place called Judgment City in which he learns he is to be on trial for the next four days to defend his life. He is put up in a rather run-down hotel, but he enjoys the best food he's ever had in his life and as much of it as he wants without having to worry about gaining any weight.
The trial consists of a series of film clips showing different episodes of his life and how he dealt with them, in particular with fear. Daniel has a nasty prosecutor known as "the dragon lady", who maintains repeatedly that he hasn't learned to deal with fear and thus needs to return to Earth.
While in Judgment City, Daniel meets an attractive young woman named Julia (Streep), who is also on trial. Julia seems destined to go to Heaven, since she lead an incredibly good life. The two quickly fall in love.
The night before both of their trials are finished, Julia asks Daniel if he wants to spend the night with her, but he refuses in part out of fear. As a result, he is told he has to return to Earth. However, as he's riding his tram back to Earth, he spots Julia in another tram bound for Heaven. In a very heartfelt ending, gets out of his seat, leaves the tram, crosses several tracks of oncoming trams, and finally boards Julia's tram.
David Terr
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