Albert Brooks: Defending My Life — Review

Rob Reiner, actor and director, has been friends with actor and director Albert Brooks for decades, and has now made this film about him in which they also talk to each other in front of the camera. The usual ingredients are discussed, but at least not in a predictable order this time.

A documentary made by a close friend of the subject is not exactly neutral. But it’s about someone who mainly tries to make people laugh, so that cheerful note is fine. And because the best man here is known to only a smaller proportion of cinephiles, this immediately becomes a pleasant introduction for most of them.

The title refers to one of Brook’s films, which he wrote, directed and starred in. A very nice film about a man who has to defend himself after his death, to determine whether he can go to the afterlife or must return to earth for a new attempt — with Meryl Streep. At the end it is also said that Brooks has defended his own life with this documentary, but that is mainly a joke. Because he doesn’t have to defend himself for his excellent career.

Instead of showing everything chronologically, the documentary oscillates back and forth between past and present. And that is very nice in a time of commonly used formats. It starts with his time as a comedian. His comedic style may not seem special today, but if the many famous names interviewed (Chris Rock, Steven Spielberg, Jon Steward, Tiffany Haddish, etc.) are to be believed, Brooks was the first to come up with it. Only then are his parents discussed. It’s special to learn who his parents were (and how his father died), which gave him an easy entry point into Hollywood.

Brooks put a lot of personal feelings into his films, and now speaks openly about them. His mother was critical, something that bothered him. At the same time, he realized that she was jealous because the spotlight was once on her, but that stopped when she became a mother. He dedicated an entire film to that ( Mother ). He also talks about, among other things, how this hindered him during filmmaking.

Even film fans who know him will probably be surprised by the anecdote about Stanley Kubrick contacting Brooks for a big compliment about one of his films. Now that all these titles are listed within an hour and a half and short fragments are shown, one theme stands out: the characters that Brooks plays are thwarted more than once by a female character.

Brooks often plays a fool, but if half the time the conclusion is that it was actually all the woman’s fault, then that might be fodder for a future documentary — made by someone who is not friends with him. The fragments invite you to watch the films, anyone who does so will discover it for themselves.

Thanks to this documentary, Albert Brooks can now not only gain some name recognition here. Considering all the stars who speak highly of him, it is clear that he is extremely appreciated in Hollywood. Not all his films get a good score, but at least he has done what he wanted all his life, with passion.