History Film / DefendingYourLife

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: InUniverse and invoked, as the trial tries to determine whether Daniel's actions were fear motivated. A perfect example is Daniel being thrust to speak in front of a large audience, but never speaks thanks to a timely gas leak evacuation. Lena presents it as an example of Daniel's fear not letting him speak, while Bob states he'd have used the same clip to demonstrate Daniel's courage (despite being pushed on stage by his co-worker.)

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodSandwich: Daniel only gets a few bites of his cheese omelette because he has to go to his appointment with Bob Diamond.

* DeadpanSnarker: Daniel, and occasionally Bob. For example, when Bob's replacement who's supposed to be ''brilliant'' says ''nothing'' during his trial day. When he finally says three words ("I like that.") after Daniel's rebuttal to Lena, Dnaiel looks [[DeathGlare stonily]] at him and snarks flatly, "I don't believe it. And you didn't want to toot your own horn."

* DeadToBeginWith
* DeadpanSnarker: Daniel, and occasionally Bob.

* AsAesop: It's okay to be afraid, so long as you don't let it sway you from happiness.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Daniel manages to make his judges chuckle and smile at his jokes, proving as Julia says that humor has no relation to brain size.

Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks) dies in a car wreck and finds himself in a very Earth-like purgatory called Judgement City. Here, he is given a defense attorney, Bob Diamond (Rip Torn), and Bob will have to [[TitleDrop defend Daniel's life]] by presenting Daniel's past in a trial over whether or not Daniel can AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence or if he should be [[{{Reincarnation}} sent back to face his fears]]. Daniel then meets [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Julia]] (Meryl Streep, [[NoNameGiven no last name given]]), who led a loving and fulfilling life, but died an untimely death. Julia and Daniel quickly hit it off, but while Daniel asserts he has no more fears and he's ready to move on, his romance with Julia begins raising some doubts...

* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: "Around the corner, something big is coming! Come to me!" ''(cue Daniel screaming as the big thing around the corner comes to him)''

This theory is supported by the number of days Daniel is scheduled to review - nine - which is pointed out numerous times throughout the movie. If you don't count direct rebuttal scenes, the trial looks at eight days from Daniel's life on Earth (The schoolyard bully, the classmate losing his paint supplies, the Casio stock tip, the salary negotiation, the public speaking engagement, the snowmobile, Lena's [[{{Slapstick}} "bad decision" montage and the ticket to Hong Kong.) Day 9 is the unexpected review of his final conversation in the hotel with Julia. The climactic tram scene is Daniel's unintentional "rebuttal" to Day 9, which is observed by the re-assembled participants of the trial.

This theory is supported by the number of days Daniel is scheduled to review - nine - which is pointed out numerous times throughout the movie. If you don't count direct rebuttal scenes, or Lena's [[{{Slapstick}} "bad decision" montage]], the trial looks at seven days from Daniel's life on Earth (The schoolyard bully, the classmate losing his paint supplies, the Casio stock tip, the salary negotiation, the public speaking engagement, the snowmobile, and the ticket to Hong Kong.) Day 8 is the unexpected review of his final conversation in the hotel with Julia. Judgment is then rendered, and the climactic tram scene is observed, unbeknownst to Daniel, by the re-assembled participants of the trial as [[{{FridgeLogic}} Day 9]].

* NauseaFuel: Resident food makes little-brains throw up.