thejcowboy22 For a majority of us. we spend our time on earth and are taught through religious training about the Ten Commandments. Laws handed down by a superior being or friendly guy in the sky then follow them to the best of our abilities. We are so indoctrinated by living within the guidelines of these rules of behavior which is passed on via Abraham, Jacob, Issac, Moses, Jesus or even the Reverend Billy Graham that good prevails against evil. So when you die you'll be judged by whomever and sent to your final destination. Heaven, Hell or purgatory. Basically Judged by your behavior. Writer and creator Albert Brooks takes a sui generis approach to death/crossing over to another plain. Our story is about a recently divorced 39 year old ad exec Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks), who neglects watching the roads when his tapes fall to the floorboard of his newly purchased vehicle. When he looks up he crashes into a bus and wakes up in wearing a white robe and is pushed in a wheel chair to a tram . Daniel appears to be dazed but unharmed physically as the tram guide tries to explain the current situation. The guide,attractive antiseptic woman with microphone explain that they are in Judgement city and will be judged by a panel and while the newly acquired deceased are here they can enjoy all the amenities of this climate controlled city. You see the powers that be made this domain as Earth like as possible with endless buffets and bistros of every description with the proviso you can eat as much as you want and not gain a pound.. The fair woman guide asks if anyone plays golf but the newly acquired dead are mostly senior citizens who can barely raise their arms. Daniel is dropped off at his hotel which is basic at best and is escorted to his room complete with a bed and TV set. Daniel is awakened the next morning by his defending attorney. The confident Bob Diamond (Rip Torn) who tells him to shower and have a big breakfast. Daniel Stuffs his face temporarily as he catches the tram to Bob Diamond's office for an orientation. Daniel learns that the judgement is based on brave and noble acts during his lifetime. The judges will determine with a prosecuting attorney Lena Foster (Lee Grant) if Daniel has shown bravery and can move forward and not be sent back to Earth for another try. The Panel will view 9 days of Daniels life. The next several days Daniel will spend the day time in that courtroom viewing episodes from his past and Attorney Diamond will show episodes to prove his client worthy to move forward. The dialogue was so cleverly written and the twist of bravery rather than goodness prevails in this satellite of the after-world. Albert Brook's take on an individuals life judged by his peers to me was well thought out concept. Fear is what keeps us from attaining our full potential in life. There are times in our lifetime we have to take chances despite the dangers or uncertainty. Lee Grant plays the dubious fine tuned prosecutor with the moniker," The Dragon Lady". I like the multi racial judges, in particular Lillian Leyman who is unwavering ,stoic and smug putting Bob Diamond in his place saying," Who told you that?" One more addition and an important one is Daniel;s love interest Julia played by Merryl Streep . Julia and Daniel spend their nights together and developed a heavenly chemistry yet Daniel shows his jealous side as Julia is only judged as a formality and has enjoyable sessions with her heavenly judges. Daniel on the other hand is put under fire from the panel . Cameos by Buck Henry filling in for Diamond and Shirley MacLaine 's intro to the past lives pavilion round out this after life story. Merryl Streep seem to be enjoying herself throughout the picture as if she was really relaxed on the set. I've never seen her so happy in a role dealing with death. Based on my own experience in New York State Family Court, Lee Grant plays the prosecutor as well as any I've personally came up against in my lifetime. Rip Torn as Daniel's attorney, shows the confidence despite Daniel's floundering attempts to please the court Judges. The sets were modern and not at all like the heaven with pearly gates or clouds we are custom to visualize.. Judgement City reminds me of a clean industrial park somewhere in California. So watch this movie with 100% of your brain power on observing the after life and go with what's inside your heart and most importantly, move forward..... to a better location.

serafinogm This movie should have been the denouement of Albert Brooks advancement as an actor. He was terrific, he was real, he was believable, he was entertaining, he had arrived and everything was just going to get better, yet it never happened. Sure he has been successful and he's experienced a degree of success that the majority of us (in particular me) could only dream about but his laid back witty, effortless acting style appears not to have caught fire, now the both of us are 69 and unless either of us can pull something out of a hat (never happen for me) our pinnacles are behind us and it's all down hill from here. Despite what has occurred to Albert's acting career this movie is a must see and it has the terrific Meryl Streep, as well as Rip Torn, Lee Grant, and Buck Henry (quite the cast). Watch this film and I promise you'll enjoy it, it's time well spent and the ending sequence is a tear jerker! Oh and Albert is far and away the reason this film is so enjoyable! He's a hoot! I discovered this film bombed at the box office, I am quite pleased that, in my small way, I helped pad the numbers!

mike48128 An optimistic film about the afterlife! Probably the best film Albert Brooks has ever made. Usually overlooked on Meryl Streep's "Filmography". A terrific screenplay. A few of his concepts are certain to offend someone as it suggests "past lives via reincarnation". A brilliant supporting cast: Rip Torn, Lee Grant, Buck Henry, Shirley MacLaine (as the curator of "past lives"). It starts out a little slow, but stay with it. "Daniel Miller" has to die for the action to begin: Daniel pays more attention to his music than his driving and gets hit by a bus. (No gore, however.) In the next scene, he is on an electric tram heading for "Judgement City" to defend his life and all the fears that us "little brains" have. Is this Heaven? No. "But some of your new little mini-malls come close". While in Judgement City you can eat all you want without gaining weight and the food is "fast, fresh and delicious". Where is Judgement City? High above the Earth where we all expect Heaven to be. If Daniel wins his case by defending the decisions he made in his life, he gets to move on to the next higher level of existence. If he loses, he gets sent back to Earth to try again. Rip Torn plays his defender, Bob Diamond. Lee Grant is the prosecutor. Meryl Streep plays his love interest, Julia, who had the perfect life until she tripped on the patio furniture, hit her head, and fell into a backyard pool. ("I shouldn't have died, I was a terrific swimmer.") I rank it up there with other all-time fantasies such as "Here Comes Mr. Jordan","Heaven Can Wait" and "Oh God!". Far from "perfect" movies, but compelling to watch with a haunting quality. Apparently, many of the reviewers who didn't like it failed to understand it. Judgement City is not Purgatory, it is a way station. Also, not all the "persons" who staff the place are entirely heavenly in nature. They are flawed, just like us humans. One of my all-time favorites. If it was a VHS tape, instead of a disc, I am certain I would have worn it out already!

forbeshathaway Robert Monroe, founder of The Monroe Institute, calls Judgment City, "Level 27" where people go after death to process their previous life and debrief for their next life. Military and lay people have trained at this institute and learned to access various levels of consciousness. According to those who have been to Level 27, this movie is dead on!This movie was instrumental in a personal assessment of life and the challenges we came to the planet to handle. Our fears rule our experience here--small fears to big fears we are constantly limited by reactionary thinking. True courage through confronting our fears is what this movie is all about. It will put you right in that 'courtroom' as you recall the times you could have stood up for yourself and failed. A shot in the arm for the fear flu!