Chapter twenty-seven: Defending Your Life

Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks) is in for a trying few days. He died in a collision with a bus, so now, after getting over the understandable shock of his death, he has entered a place called Judgement City. Judgement City is like the shuttle to heaven, if you will. It's the place where you must defend, or explain, your actions on earth, and then are later evaluated to see if you deserve eternal happiness, or if you must be sent back to earth in a different life to correct your wrongdoings on earth from this past life.

Upon arrival, Daniel is guided off the tour bus and taken to a cheap-looking motel where he prepares for a meeting with his lawyer (Rip Torn) and adjusts to his new surroundings in the process. Then, Daniel is told he can eat anything he wants, due to the fact that the food in Judgement City is calorie-free. Yum!

Daniel is still greatly confused and understands very little by the time he enters the courtroom. It is here that his trial starts and clips are shown from his life, categorized by age and date, to support why he should be allowed to enter heaven. Others televised at the front of the courtroom by the prosecution to contradict that opinion, and Daniel tries to explain the instances as best he can for the benefit of himself. Then, he crosses paths with a woman named Julia (Meryl.) Much like Meryl, Julia's a very considerate and exuberant character who appears to have much nicer living quarters than Daniel, and a much less lax lawyer, which could be a reflection of Daniel's lifestyle. (As goes the saying, "You get out what you put in.")

The two are lovebirds quickly, though Daniel wonders if he will be able to live happily ever after with Julia. The evidence gathered from the majority of clips shown throughout the progression of his trial suggest that Daniel needs to learn more before he can enter heaven is mounting up against him. Meanwhile, clips from Julia's trial suggest that during her lifetime she always did the honest thing and there was not a sour bone in her body. Daniel is not as optimistic about the overall situation as she is.

Ultimately, the ending of the movie looks unfortunate, due to the reality that Daniel and Julia are scheduled to be separated by their destinies, but looks can be deceiving, as is the case with this movie. What happens is there are two different busses; one headed back to earth, and one headed towards the gates of heaven. Daniel and Julia get on each other's buses, each of them thinking that the other person will be on their assigned bus. Then, the buses pick up speed and Daniel starts running to Julia, but the bus door refuses to open. Back in the courtroom, all of Daniel's judges and lawyers that were assigned to his trial see his act of selflessness and devotion to love. They decide to let the door open, so that even if he is going back to earth, he can go back with Julia.

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I really did like this movie. More than anything, I think it is a testament to the underlying questions, "What is heaven?" and, "What happens when we pass on?" The film certainly does provide a new outlook, or perspective on a place that is otherwise considered to be a destination in the sky with our lost loved ones, angels, and harps. I think that's a terribly interesting thing to think about. Especially because we all hope, and some of us may even expect, to be granted peace almost immediately following our demise, but there may be a test or two we have to pass first, and although we may accept death, will we be ready for the test(s) if one does appear?

As always, thank you for the entertainment, Meryl.