‘Albert Brooks: Defending My Life’ Review: Rob Reiner Gets A Comic Genius On The Record And It Is A Conversation Worth Savoring
deadline.comWhen I heard Rob Reiner was planning to direct a documentary on a true comic icon and genius named Albert Brooks I thought ‘now this will be good!’.
Reiner (When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men, Stand By Me, This Is Spinal Tap etc etc) is not only a smart and highly talented filmmaker in his own right, but also a longtime friend of Brooks with whom he went to high school and even co-starred with him in drama dept productions.
I am happy to report this HBO Original documentary, Albert Brooks: Defending My Life premiering Saturday night and then streaming on Max, not only more than met my high expectations, but exceeds them.
Set in a plush dark red restaurant booth the film is anchored simply by a conversation between Reiner and Brooks. The visual is almost identical to the opening scene of Brooks’ 1981 Modern Romance where he and his girlfriend are breaking up, but here it is more akin to My Dinner With Andre where two old pals engage us with an examination of the life and career of one of them, Brooks, and the end result is sheer cinematic bliss.
Read more on deadline.com
