Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
| Albert Brooks: Defending My Life | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Directed by | Rob Reiner |
| Produced by |
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| Cinematography | Barry Markowitz Rocker Meadows |
| Edited by | Bob Joyce |
| Music by | Marc Shaiman |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | HBO |
Release dates |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life is a 2023 American documentary film directed by Rob Reiner. It is a tribute to the American actor, comedian, film director, and screenwriter Albert Brooks.[1] In addition to directing the film, Reiner also interviews Brooks, revealing the two had been best friends since meeting at Beverly Hills High School. Much of the documentary is a conversation between Brooks and Reiner, who had been friends for nearly 60 years.[2] The film follows the life of Brooks from his early childhood in a showbiz family through his years in the industry.
The documentary aired on HBO on November 11, 2023.[3] It has since become available for streaming on HBO Max.[4][5]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life offers an engrossing and suitably funny overview of its subject's career – and one that'll leave you wanting to watch more of his work."[6] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[7]
Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gave the film three and a half out of four stars and wrote, "This film will be a treat for anyone who loves any part of Brooks' career, or all of it. And its subject is so fascinating and open-hearted that one can imagine people who've never heard his name until now getting something out of it, too."[1]
References
- ^ a b Seitz, Matt Zoller (November 10, 2023). "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ Fienberg, Daniel (October 26, 2023). "'Albert Brooks: Defending My Life' Review: Rob Reiner's Delightful HBO Doc Tribute Leaves You Wanting More". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ "HBO Original Documentary ALBERT BROOKS: DEFENDING MY LIFE Debuts November 11". Warner Bros. Discovery. October 26, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ^ Serba, John (November 14, 2025). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Albert Brooks: Defending My Life' on Max, an Intimate Retrospective on a Singular Comedy Artist". Decider. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ^ "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life". HBO Max. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ^ "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life". Metacritic. Retrieved February 1, 2024.