Aus dem Leben gegriffen (1979)
5KAus dem Leben gegriffen: Directed by Albert Brooks. With Dick Haynes, Albert Brooks, Matthew Tobin, J.A. Preston. A film crew sets out to record a year in the life of an average family, but things quickly start going wrong.
“Comedian Brooks tries hard, probably too hard, while the script makes a hash of Hollywood satire. Playing a moviemaker in the film, actor Brooksu0026#39; promising idea is to document a year in the life of a typical American family. Trouble is that heu0026#39;s so full of himself and his ideas, he canu0026#39;t leave the family alone long enough to act out their own lives. Worse, heu0026#39;s got a battery of distracting psychologists analyzing the minutiae (coffee cups) of the familyu0026#39;s daily life. So, what starts out as a promising docu idea, ends up a fiasco.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eActually, my little recap makes events sound more coherent than they are. All in all, the movieu0026#39;s really a mess, despite occasionally funny moments. No doubt about it, Brooks has an inventive flair (the space-helmet cameras, for one). But in this movie, too many of his ideas simply cascade forth, remaining ill-formed (the psychologists), or plain non-starters (the dead horse, the gynecology office). Still, the latter raise a thought-provoking question- that is, just how broad should a real life account be. Should it include bathroom trips, for example. And if a line is drawn, where should it be and why. The issue is raised somewhat in the movie, but stumbles around with neither depth nor laughs. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLooks to me like a critical eye was needed in addition to the three writers (Brooks u0026amp; Co.). That is, someone who could weed out the losers and shape the winners. After all, the premise itself remains a promising one. Too bad that the humorous Grodin is wasted in a deadpan role that preempts his often subtle brand of comedy. I kept hoping Iu0026#39;d see some trace of his churlish shtick, but itu0026#39;s frozen deadpan all the way.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnyway, Iu0026#39;m not usually an advocate of re-makes, but here, in more disciplined hands, the results could be both thought-provoking and knee-slapping. As things stand, the movie fails on both accounts.”
