Real Life

PG

Released Mar 2, 1979

1h 39m

Comedy

List

82%

22 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmaker Albert Brooks wants to create a documentary that will get to the very heart of what it means to be an American family. To that end, he persuades the Yeagers of Phoenix, Ariz., to let him and his camera crew document virtually every moment of their waking lives. What's supposed to be a cinematic presentation of reality, however, soon becomes something quite different, as Brooks can't stop himself from comically interfering in their lives.

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Alec B

The film's merits extend way beyond it's (probably accidental) prophetic vision of what reality television is today as it's also one of the most cynical and vicious comedies ever made. Brooks' performance is perhaps the best and most unflattering in the history of people playing themselves in a film.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

Full Review

William L

"I think you'd be surprised at how much alike we really are." "I'd be more than surprised, I'd be suicidal." Real Life is a legitimately funny half-mockumentary that can't entirely escape being shackled to a drama that isn't half as interesting, but ends up being surprisingly prescient. Brooks himself has great presence and comedic timing as the self-obsessed and smarmy director; it's entirely thanks to his sense of humor that the film stays engaging and tight, poking fun at the 'creative process' and the personalities behind it. Being early in the mockumentary era, Real Life's greatest shortcoming is its unwillingness to commit to its premise, introducing a shaky-cam, amateurish style of filmmaking before forgetting that and opting instead for a more conventional technique in many segments where the film starts to slip away from what hooked audiences in the first place. That said, Brooks does accomplish something that only really solid comedies have done: mixing sincere themes and comedy without making either seem insincere. In Brooks' case, it seems that his directorial debut has only gotten sharper with time, touching on the concept of media being invited into people's lives and taking it over as they 'become entertainment'. Maybe it's more for chasing clout than artistic merit, but the principle is still the same. (3.5/5)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/27/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Albert Brooks accurately forecast the sham of "reality" shows such as The Real Housewifes ... franchise. Seeing the show-biz possibilities of the early 70s pioneer PBS An American Family, he uses science to sort though hundreds of families to find the perfectly average one, the Yeagers of Phoenix, AZ. The show starts off realistically enough with the wife at the family dinner table raging with PMS. Brooks can't help but insinuate himself more and more firmly in the "reality" - up to and including setting fire to and burning down the family home. Johnny C sez check it out - more real than reality shows themselves. Hilarious.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The best comedy movie ever made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

scott m

Brooks saw the future of television. Good stuff. Although he should have taken it a lot farther.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

s r

Another lost flixster rating. 1001 movies to see before you die.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Albert Brooks

Director

Albert Brooks

Albert Brooks

Charles Grodin

Warren Yeager

Frances Lee McCain

Jeannette Yeager

Dick Haynes

Councilman Harris

Matthew Tobin

Dr. Howard Hill

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

A great idea. But the movie that Albert Brooks has made from it, alas, gets most of its laughs in the first 10 minutes, slides into a long middle stretch of repetitive situations and ends on a note of embarrassing hysteria.

Rated: 1/4

May 16, 2019

Full Review

Gary Arnold

Washington Post

While the fictitious Albert Brooks takes us cheerfully into his confidence, the Albert Brooks behind the camera sees through him with hilarious clarity.

Apr 30, 2018

Full Review

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Mr. Brooks is at his most droll.

Rated: 4/5

May 9, 2005

Full Review

Mitchell Beaupre

Paste Magazine

Brooks recognizes that the second you put “real life” on screen it becomes something else entirely.

Rated: 9.5/10

Mar 25, 2024

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...an intriguing (and impressively prescient) premise that's employed to exceedingly hit-and-miss effect by Brooks...

Rated: 2/4

Oct 30, 2020

Full Review

Richard von Busack

Pacific Sun (San Rafael, CA)

Real Life is a jewel of American comedy and one of the first mockumentaries ever made.

Jan 2, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Albert Brooks wants to create a documentary that will get to the very heart of what it means to be an American family. To that end, he persuades the Yeagers of Phoenix, Ariz., to let him and his camera crew document virtually every moment of their waking lives. What's supposed to be a cinematic presentation of reality, however, soon becomes something quite different, as Brooks can't stop himself from comically interfering in their lives.

Director: Albert Brooks
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 1979, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2011
Runtime: 1h 39m

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