Skip to content
HOLLYWOOD METRICS
HomeAboutCraftNewsAnalyticsScriptsBooksPricingAPIMCP
Catalog/Comedy/Defending Your Life
Defending Your Life poster
A
Excellent
MASTER SCORE 70.2 / 100
1991·Comedy / Drama / Fantasy·1h 52m

DEFENDING YOUR LIFE

“The first true story of what happens after you die.”

Is 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.

Above the Line
Albert Brooks·DirectorAlbert Brooks·ScreenplayAllen Daviau·Director of PhotographyMichael Gore·Original Music ComposerDavid Finfer·Editor
Cast
Albert Brooks·Daniel MillerMeryl Streep·JuliaRip Torn·Bob DiamondLee Grant·Lena FosterMichael Durrell·Agency HeadJames Eckhouse·Jeep OwnerGary Beach·Car SalesmanJulie Cobb·Tram GuidePeter Schuck·StanTime Winters·Porter
Full Crew
(30 credits)
Directing· 2
Albert Brooks·DirectorMichael Grillo·First Assistant Director
Writing· 1
Albert Brooks·Screenplay
Camera· 3
Allen Daviau·Director of PhotographyBobby Mancuso·Second Assistant CameraReggie Newkirk·First Assistant Camera
Editing· 3
David Finfer·EditorJohn Morrisey·Assistant EditorJudd H. Maslansky·Assistant Editor
Sound & Music· 7
Michael Gore·Original Music ComposerKimberly Lowe Voigt·Dialogue EditorDane A. Davis·Supervising Sound EditorJim Borgardt·ADR EditorG.W. Brown·ADR EditorValerie Davidson·Foley EditorTom Hammond·Foley Editor
Art & Design· 8
Deborah L. Scott·Costume DesignIda Random·Production DesignRichard Reynolds·Art DirectionJohn Rankin·SwingDonn Piller·SwingMartha Johnston·Set DesignerSara Gardner-Gail·SwingJames Hegedus·Production Illustrator
Production· 5
Michael Grillo·ProducerHerb Nanas·Executive ProducerMark Saks·CastingBarbara Claman·CastingRobert Grand·Co-Producer
Other Departments· 1
Dennis Dion·Special Effects Supervisor
By the Numbers
70.2
OF 100
Master Score
7.2
OF 10
IMDb
98%
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
$16M
ROI -18%
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind Defending Your Life's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#ADD8E6
#FFFFFF
#000000
Mood
Serene, Thoughtful
Composition
Centered
Era
1990s
Visual Style
Photographic

“A movie poster features a man and a woman standing close together, facing each other with their hands clasped. Both are wearing white robes and have glowing hal”

comedyfantasy
Key Elements
HalosRobesHands
Atmosphere
Bright
Color Mood
Cool
Setting
Fantasy
Design Score
7/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighboring films in the catalog's similarity graph.

Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY ALBERT BROOKS

Every catalog entry where Albert Brooks is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE COMEDY

Top-ranked films inside comedy, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1990S

The best films of the 1990s, ranked across every available metric.

Open
View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
HOLLYWOOD METRICS

The definitive mathematical oracle for cinematic success and creative script intelligence.

74,000+ Films100 Years1.1M+ Reviews
PRODUCT
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Script Analysis
  • Watch the Demo
  • The Red List
  • News
  • Analytics
  • API
  • MCP Connector
COMPANY
  • About
  • Track Record
  • Trust & Script Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
CONNECT
  • ▶YouTube
  • ◉Instagram
  • ♪TikTok
  • @Threads
  • fFacebook
Get Started Free →
© 2026 Hollywood Metrics. All rights reserved.Powered by bespoke agents and autonomous agentic workflows