Review: 'Defending Your Life' Still One of Albert Brooks' Funniest (and Most Ponderous) Works

Filmmakers pull at the strings of theology all the time. Some find a worthwhile thread and continue to follow it, while others pull way too hard. Albert Brooks is of the former camp, using his affinity for finding humanity and humor in the most nerve-wracking situations while also connecting it to something much deeper. That talent becomes immediately apparent when you watch "Defending Your Life," one of his funniest works, and very possibly his most ponderous.

The Criterion Collection brings the film to Blu-ray with a stunning 1080p presentation sourced from a new 4K digital restoration approved by Brooks. The contrast is sturdy, the film grain is thick but not overwhelming, and textures are well detailed. It's an overall pleasing presentation backed by a few special features that you'll want to dig into if you're a fan of Brooks.

I highly recommend this release not only for the film, but also the terrific appreciation and dissection of the film by theologian and critic Donna Bowman in a special feature that deserves your attention. Bowman does a miraculous job at defining headier theology and linking it directly to specific moments in the film, all the while showing how Brooks baked these bigger ideas directly into the story without detracting from the heart of the narrative.

Daniel Miller (Brooks) is mildly successful in life, and he's just bought a brand-new BMW. But then everything is upended when he's killed in a car crash and sent to Judgement City, a waiting area for the newly deceased. In Judgement City, he must defend his life in a courtroom-style trial with the goal of showing that he successfully overcame all his fears. But then he meets the free-spirited Julia (Meryl Streep), and his fate is thrown into even more upheaval as he falls in love.

There's a hilarious joke in the beginning of "Defending Your Life" that does a good job at explaining Albert Brooks' type of cutting humor: A car salesman brings Daniel out to his new BMW and boasts about how beautiful it is. It's then revealed that the car isn't Daniel's and that the one they're looking at is a much more expensive model, when the film cuts to Daniel's much-smaller purchase. This sequence proves to be so much more than a throwaway gag, as Brooks continues to play with how much value humans place upon things both physical and metaphysical.

There's a great interview with Albert Brooks included on the Blu-ray that's worth seeking out, too. Brooks' storytelling capabilities and humor haven't softened over the years, proved by interviews like this one. All in all, this is a terrific edition of a miraculous movie.

Other special features include:

� Booklet essay by filmmaker Ari Aster
� New program featuring excerpts from interviews conducted in 1991 with Brooks, Lee Grant and Rip Torn

"Defending Your Life" is now available on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.