Rendezvous im Jenseits (1991)

Rendezvous im Jenseits: Directed by Albert Brooks. With Albert Brooks, Michael Durrell, James Eckhouse, Gary Beach. In an afterlife way station resembling a major city, the lives of the recently-deceased are examined in a court-like setting.

“Albert Brooksu0026#39; view of death is very pleasing to me! Imagine eating all you want while dressed in a comfortable Star Trek outfit! Plus the weather is always great! u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eUnfortunately, thatu0026#39;s only at Judgement City..who knows the circumstances at the other places?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDaniel (Brooks) dies in the first ten minutes, while listening to Streisand in his brand new car. He is whisked off to Judgement City where everyoneu0026#39;s life is evaluated. You see glimpses of your own past and have to defend your life and yourself. Thereu0026#39;s a prosecutor and your trial will decide if you u0026#39;go onu0026#39; or u0026#39;go backu0026#39; but none of that really matters that much. Its really just a reason to see all the flashbacks and relive all the memories. Everything is based on fear – how you handle it, if you let it run your life and, most importantly, if you overcame it at all. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOn night in a comedy club he meets Julia, played by Meryl Streep. They get along immediately and enjoy each other very much. She has a better hotel than he does and as the movie progresses you see Daniel as more of a loser than anything, while Julia was apparently in the other category. She is on a first-name basis with her lawyer and gets invited to a dinner party he throws. Daniel eats alone in a sushi bar (very funny scene!) that night. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003enThere is one priceless scene that I closely identified with. Daniel is on his way to Hong Kong (this is a scene from his life, obviously) and finds he has seat u0026#39;Bu0026#39;, meaning heu0026#39;s between two people. He canu0026#39;t even consider sitting in between two people for that long a trip so asks the flight attendant if there are any available seats in first class. She says there is one seat, but it costs $3000 more. He takes it! I would also do a lot to avoid seat u0026#39;Bu0026#39;, too!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlbert Brooks movies are never laugh riots, but they are not supposed to be. They are pleasantly amusing, memorable and thoughtful. This movie falls into the category too but does contain a couple of very funny scenes – during his u0026#39;trialu0026#39; there is what seems to be a u0026#39;blooperu0026#39; tape of his life that is very funny and played strictly for laughs. Its a little disrespectful of the character but Brooks never minds portraying himself as vulnerable and human. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOutcome is very satisfying. Streep underplays beautifully and the two actors have a considerable amount of chemistry. Rip Torn, Lee Grant and Buck Henry are the lawyers, and all of them are servicable. 8/10.”