1979
PG
Paramount Pictures
1 h 39 m

1979
PG
Paramount Pictures
1 h 39 m

Summary A pushy, narcissistic filmmaker persuades a Phoenix family to let him and his crew film their everyday lives, in the manner of the ground-breaking PBS series "An American Family". However, instead of remaining unobtrusive and letting the family be themselves, he can't keep himself from trying to control every facet of their lives "for th...

Comedy

Directed By: Albert Brooks

Written By: Monica Mcgowan Johnson, Harry Shearer, Albert Brooks

1979
PG
Paramount Pictures
1 h 39 m

1979
PG
Paramount Pictures
1 h 39 m

Real Life

Name: Real Life
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1979-03-02
Duration: 1 min 39 s
Rating: 64
Cast: Dick Haynes, Albert Brooks, Matthew Tobin, J.A. Preston, Mort Lindsey

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews

My Score

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Where to Watch

Comedy

Directed By: Albert Brooks

Written By: Monica Mcgowan Johnson, Harry Shearer, Albert Brooks

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews

86% Positive
6 Reviews

0% Mixed
0 Reviews

14% Negative
1 Review

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews

86% Positive
6 Reviews

0% Mixed
0 Reviews

14% Negative
1 Review

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

100

Washington Post

Albert Brooks may be the Woody Allen of the 1980s. His extraordinary first feature, Real Life, demonstrates a potential genius for movie comedy and is animated by a peculiarly fertile and subtle imagination.

By Gary Arnold FULL REVIEW

The New York Times

The ending of Real Life is the most uproarious of a good many inspired moments.

By Janet Maslin FULL REVIEW

LarsenOnFilm

It’s astonishing, and a bit sad really, how prescient Real Life was in retrospect. In 1979, Albert Brooks had already predicted and skewered the contrived inauthenticity of reality television with this biting mockumentary, yet we’ve gone ahead and given over much of our entertainment hours to the format anyway.

By Josh Larsen FULL REVIEW

Washington Post

If not new and significant, it's at least a funny attempt to pull off the trick of holding a mirror to our hall of mirrors. [1 June 1979, p.22]

FULL REVIEW

TV Guide Magazine

Real Life delivers a pointed critique of the influence of media on our lives; it is also one of the funniest looks at filmmaking ever put on screen.

FULL REVIEW

The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Brooks' bravery is spiriting; in his debut he has written an unlikeable character doing unlikeable things to likeable people. One wishes his talent as a director matched his chutzpah. [17 Mar 1979]

By Jay Scott FULL REVIEW

Chicago Sun-Times

An idea is not enough for a movie. Characters have to be developed, comic situations have to be set up before they can pay off and the story should have a conclusion instead of a dead stop. Real Life fails in all of those areas -- fails so miserably that it lets its audiences down.

By Roger Ebert FULL REVIEW

See All 7 Critic Reviews

Details

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Production Company Paramount Pictures

Release Date Mar 2, 1979

Duration 1 h 39 m

Rating PG

Genres

Comedy

Tagline An American Comedy

Real Life

Where to Watch

Where to Watch

Top Cast

Dick Haynes

Councilman Edmund Harris

Albert Brooks

Albert Brooks

Matthew Tobin

Dr. Howard Hill

J.A. Preston

Dr. Ted Cleary

Mort Lindsey

Mort Lindsey

Joseph Schaffler

Paul Lowell - Realtor

Phyllis Quinn

Donna Stanley - Gift Shop Owner

James Ritz

Jack from Cincinnati

Clifford Einstein

Role Reversal Family Father

Harold Einstein

Role Reversal Family Son

Mandy Einstein

Role Reversal Family Mother

Karen Einstein

Role Reversal Family Daughter

James L. Brooks

Driving Evaluator

Zeke Manners

Driver in Evaluation

Charles Grodin

Warren Yeager DVM

Frances Lee McCain

Jeanette Yeager

Lisa Urette

Lisa Yeager

Robert Stirrat

Eric Yeager

Dudley DeZonia

Andrew Felton - Alternate Family Father

Barbara DeZonia

Felton Family Member

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Details

Details

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