Search - Real Life on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Adult Language Movie Release: 1979 DVD Release: 02/13/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 38 mins Studio: Paramount Members Wishing: 7 Genres: Comedy, Mockumentary, Showbiz Comedy, Media Satire

Albert Brooks made his feature-length debut as a writer and director with this wickedly funny satire, in which Albert Brooks plays "Albert Brooks," an arrogant and self-centered comedian who has decided to make a documentary film. Following the lead of the infamous pre-Real World PBS series An American Family (in which a "typical" family was filmed during most of their waking hours and eventually self-destructed on camera), Brooks moves in with the Yeager family of Phoenix, Arizona and chronicles their lives, with the support of a battery of psychiatrists and sociologists. He arrives at the Yeagers' doorstep with a two-man crew, wearing high-tech cameras that look like space helmets from a grade-B sci-fi movie, and it quickly becomes obvious that he is incapable of being unobtrusive. The Yeagers are driven to distraction by Brooks, who repeatedly ignores the advice of his team of experts and wishes there were some way to make the family's life more interesting (leading to perhaps the least expected homage to Gone With the Wind in film history). Of all Brooks' features, Real Life most resembles his cutting but deadpan short subjects for Saturday Night Live; Brooks never fails to cast himself in an unflattering light, and the supporting cast does admirable work in reacting to him, especially Charles Grodin and Lee McCain as Mr. and Mrs. Yeager. Harry Shearer contributed to the screenplay and plays a small role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Charles Grodin - Warren Yeager
Frances Lee McCain - Jeanette Yeager
J.A. Preston - Dr. Ted Cleary
Matthew Tobin - Dr. Howard Hill
Albert Brooks - Himself

Lost in America may have been Albert Brooks' most popular film but many of his fans consider this 1979 feature debut to be his funniest picture. Long out of print on video, the Paramount DVD of Real Life makes plain that this biting satire is even more timely now that reality TV has moved beyond Candid Camera and the PBS American Family documentary that originally inspired Brooks to make the movie. Unfortunately, this DVD doesn't come with any extras such as an audio commentary, which is a shame considering that Brooks is so engaging in interviews. All viewers get is an anamorphic transfer of the theatrical widescreen print and a Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono audio track. Both of these live up to Real Life's original theatrical print. Though including Brooks' hilarious short films from the period would have been nice, fans of Albert Brooks and "mockumentaries" such as Best in Show will be pleased to have =Real Life in their collections. ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide