Every Movie Directed by Albert Brooks, Ranked
Albert Brooks is best known for being a comedian and an actor, with perhaps his best-known role, at least for younger people - and for better or worse - being that of voicing Marlin in Finding Nemo. But even when it comes to acting, it's not fair to entirely pin him down to the comedy genre, given he's also appeared in movies like Taxi Driver (albeit in something of a comedic relief role) and 2011's Drive (which was very much not a comedic role, as there, he proved capable of playing a genuinely menacing villain).
On top of acting, however, Brooks has also written and directed a total of seven movies between the years 1979 and 2005, with him starring in all seven, too. These are largely underappreciated films, with the early ones in particular feeling quite ahead of their time, regarding the things they dealt with and the way they dealt with them. It's a small but certainly fascinating filmography, with all seven movies directed by Brooks being ranked below, starting with the decent ones and ending with the underrated classics.
7 'The Muse' (1999)
It's hard for a filmmaker to put out nothing but winners, and though The Muse is the least compelling of all the movies Albert Brooks has made, it's certainly not irredeemable or unwatchable. It has a novel and somewhat interesting premise, following an unsuccessful screenwriter (played by Brooks) who's looking for inspiration to get out of his writer's block. When a friend of his says that he can get him in contact with a genuine muse - the kind found in Greek mythology - to help inspire him, Brooks's character jumps at the opportunity.
What follows is a somewhat dated and generic comedy with a slight fantastical spin, and though it doesn't provide many big laughs or true insight into the creative process, it's decent enough for its time. Being about the American film industry, some of the cameos end up being quite funny at least, especially Martin Scorsese's brief scene (he directed Brooks in Taxi Driver), and a part with James Cameron, which is funnier nowadays, in the wake of Avatar: The Way of Water's release.
6 'Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World' (2005)
While the title might seem a little provocative, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World ends up being a surprisingly gentle film, with satirical aspects far less biting than what Albert Brooks was known for in his earlier movies. It also stands out for having Albert Brooks play a fictional version of himself, rather than a character similar to himself with a different name (he also did this in his directorial debut).
The film's plot sees Brooks being sent to India (and Pakistan, briefly) by the U.S. government to find out what makes followers of Islam laugh, all with the hope that it'll improve relations between the U.S. and Muslim countries. It represents Brooks in his comfort zone, as he gets to unpack what different cultures may find funny or not funny, but unfortunately, audiences will likely find that the film itself is only occasionally funny, rather than consistently laugh-out-loud. It's an admirable and somewhat compelling comedy, but it feels like it's lacking something to push it into the territory of greatness.
5 'Mother' (1996)
1996's Mother should not be mixed up with the horrifying Darren Aronofsky film from 2017 called Mother!, nor should it be mixed up with the 2009 Bong Joon-ho film called Mother. Albert Brooks's Mother is instead a less intense movie than those other two, with the plot centering on a middle-aged writer who is experiencing nothing but failure and setbacks in his life, so he ends up moving back in with his mother, hoping it can help get his life back on track while improving the pair's bond.
It largely works, even with a fairly silly premise, and Brooks's character complaining about a huge amount of things while overall having a pretty cushy life, by most people's standards. Still, that style of neurotic comedy and sometimes unlikeable characters are things that are right in Brooks's wheelhouse, and Mother is overall well-executed enough to be a solid watch. Debbie Reynolds is also very good in the role of the titular mother, with her and Brooks having a believable parent/child dynamic that the movie would've utterly failed without.
4 'Lost in America' (1985)
The four best Albert Brooks movies were the first four he made, and with Lost in America being his third overall, it fits neatly within his output of classic comedies. The premise here is a remarkably simple one, following a successful yet dissatisfied L.A. couple who decide they want to dramatically reshape their lives, and so they quit their jobs and set out to live a life like the one the main characters from 1969's Easy Rider live... all the while seemingly ignoring how that movie actually ends.
At only 91 minutes long, and featuring only two main characters, it's a very lean and straight-to-the-point movie, but that's also what makes it entertaining and easy to watch. It's a funny and insightful look at life during the seemingly prosperous 1980s in America, and though it's not his absolute funniest or cleverest film, it's still one of Brooks's better movies, and one that people don't seem to remember or talk about enough nowadays.
3 'Defending Your Life' (1991)
Of the seven movies Albert Brooks wrote, directed, and starred in, Defending Your Life is perhaps the most ambitious, and revolves around the most out-there premise of the bunch. It follows an advertising executive who finds himself in a place called Judgment City after dying in a sudden traffic accident, and learns that he's going to be judged for the life he's lived. If he's deemed worthy, he'll move on from Judgment City, and if he fails, he'll be sent back to Earth to be reincarnated.
Beyond grappling with themes concerning life, death, and the possibility of an afterlife, Defending Your Life is also a romance, as Brooks's character falls in love with another person currently being judged - a seemingly perfect woman played by Meryl Streep. Truth be told, this side of the movie isn't as strong, but it works well enough as a subplot, and does allow this creatively fantastical rom-com a somewhat cheesy - albeit heartfelt - ending to build to.
2 'Modern Romance' (1981)
Despite being a romantic comedy, Modern Romance is the kind of movie about love that wouldn't be good for date night. It follows a film editor breaking up with his girlfriend and then regretting the decision, depicting - in unflinching detail - the ups and downs of his life post-break-up, and how he (usually unsuccessfully) deals with the idea that he may have derailed his life.
It's an uneasy movie, mainly thanks to the main character and his various neuroses, with Brooks showing himself here to be entirely unafraid of playing an unlikeable main character. But it's that commitment and difficult, brutal honesty that makes Modern Romance so effective as an anti-romance movie of sorts, and one that will continue to be relevant for as long as people continue to struggle with the act of falling in and out of love.
1 'Real Life' (1979)
Albert Brooks's directorial debut is still his best and most creative movie. The movie in question is Real Life, and it's undoubtedly one of the most underrated and inexplicably forward-thinking of its decade. Brooks plays a heightened version of himself, with the plot following him as he embarks on a project that involves filming a family as they go about living their daily lives, only for a constantly present film crew - and demands from Brooks himself - to cause chaos within the family unit.
It was made as a parody of a show called An American Family, which aired during the 1970s, but nowadays, it feels like a satirical look at the nature of reality TV itself, which wouldn't become popular for years after Real Life was released. Its sense of humor and deconstruction of what's real and what's faked is also reminiscent of Nathan Fielder's mind-bending 2022 series, The Rehearsal. Real Life is admirable for how it not only holds up, but feels genuinely years ahead of its time, and as such, it stands as Brooks's funniest, most thought-provoking, and overall best film.
ncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51krq2uxKurZpqipLysv4ympq%2Bhlah6s63NpJydZw%3D%3D