One of the great quirks of 20th century culture is that there were two public figures with the name Albert Einstein – an iconic physicist who made invaluable contributions to the world of science, and the other a comedian and actor who changed the face of comedy over the past few decades, and therefore both can easily be considered geniuses in their own right. However, the younger of the pair initially didn’t like the comparison, hence the reasons for changing his name once he decided to pursue a professional career in the public eye. However, in his later years, he remarks that he has not only come to terms with the name he was given at birth but has started to enjoy the unintentional benefits that come along with it. This anecdote is one of the several wonderful moments contained in the most recent documentary directed by Rob Reiner, who centres an entire film on someone he considers his best friend, Albert Brooks. In what is bound to be considered one of the most insightful and compelling documentaries of the year, Reiner invites his friend to have an extensive discussion in which he reflects on his past, including his upbringing, his career as a comedian and ascension to one of the most influential comedy directors in history – and pairing it with testimonials from a wide range of other sources that clearly look up to this man, it becomes Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, a wonderful and eccentric glimpse into the life and career of someone who has made an indelible imprint on the industry, but yet still feels underpraised, at least about the incredible work he has done to define the art of comedy, something that he has made his life’s mission, and which he clearly feels was a success based on the pride and fondness with which he speaks about his career, and which this documentary perfectly captures in vivid, wonderful detail as it navigates his extensive and iconic career.

While many filmmakers strive to explore their chosen subject matter through subversive and unique methods, sometimes the best approach is the simplest one, which was the case with Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, which is built mostly around a conversation between Brooks and Reiner. Seated in a restaurant booth, which seems like an entirely appropriate place for their discussion, since this was very likely the kind of place where some of their finest ideas were born, the two men engage in a lengthy conversation in which Brooks is encouraged to open up and reveal aspects of his life that are not entirely unknown (since the events he discusses were all mostly in the public eye), but still show a different side of him that many of us had never seen before. This kind of retrospective is intriguing because it suddenly becomes less about the work, and more about the experiences that went into it – the emotions felt when exploring certain subjects, the real-life inspiration behind a lot of his work, and the origins of his comedic style, which were not plucked out of thin air, but came from numerous sources, much of which is tied to his upbringing and relationship with his parents. Brooks is known to be quite selective and mostly quite aloof in terms of his private life, especially on the subject of his family, so it is already miraculous that someone managed to convince him to make a film in which the spotlight is shone directly on him, as is the fact that he was more than willing to open up about certain subjects. Had it not been Reiner (whose first remarks are that he and Brooks have been friends for over sixty years, proving that he was perhaps the only living person who could be tasked with exploring his life) sitting across the table during this conversation, we’d most definitely not have been given such an engaging and enthralling glimpse into Brooks’ life and career, since outside of his family, no one seems to know him better than his old friend and their intimate discussion allows for some wonderful reflections on the past.

However, as appealing as it may be to see these two iconic comedic veterans discussing the past, especially since the best moments come from the more intimate moments between them, there is a bigger purpose to Albert Brooks: Defending My Life than just having Brooks discuss his life and career, even if this is the main foundation of the film. He is a beloved figure, and someone who has made such an imprint in the industry, and the only way to truly understand the impact he made is to hear it from the people who witnessed it, either at the time or in retrospect. Reiner manages to speak to several notable figures, including David Letterman, Larry David, Sarah Silverman, Chris Rock, Sharon Stone, Ben Stiller and Steven Spielberg (as well as many others), and while this is already an impressive roster of participants, there is something much more impressive about their participation, which comes in the fact that every one of them makes an effort to stress two points: first is that Brooks is a comedic legend, and secondly that he helped influence and guide their careers in some way. To have some of the most prominent names in 20th-century culture cite a singular figure as one of their biggest inspirations is incredible. Even archival recordings of the likes of Carl Reiner and Milton Berle, who were also present to witness the birth of a true comedic legend, prove that his comedy speaks to multiple generations – how often do we find Johnny Carson and Alana Haim sharing a similar opinion on a single person? It is rare to find any documentary on a public figure where such a wide net is cast in terms of participants, and where they all openly discuss their love for the subject, but come to the same conclusion, which is that Brooks is an absolute genius and far more influential on the past half-century of comedy than any of us may have imagined, so seeing such meaningful, heartfelt tributes from some of the most notable entertainers and artists of their generation certainly feels special.

Reiner makes sure to capture the love that each one of these people has for Brooks in vibrant detail, which only makes his work feel even richer and more meaningful, since the comedies he has made throughout his career speak to something much more profound embedded within our culture. Brooks has had a long and storied career, yet the themes present in his work often reflect something much more profound. Right at the heart of this documentary, we find many curious secrets delivered on the part of the subject – he shares inspirations for his earlier work in stand-up comedy and short subject filmmaking (many of his routines and early works for Saturday Night Live being shown, lovingly restored – a compilation of the first two decades of his career would be a great gift for anyone who loves comedy), as well as the people and ideas that influenced his movement into feature filmmaking, which was a revolutionary moment in itself. Films like Real Life, Lost in America and Modern Romance are given their due as groundbreaking comedies, while more audacious works like Mother and Defending Your Life (the latter perhaps Brooks’ defining film, and the one that this documentary borrows its title from) are discussed, not as works of art, but rather as deeply personal projects that drew on Brooks’ own domestic life and upbringing, his reflections on their conception and creation being astonishing and providing even more context for their status as unimpeachable masterpieces, something that adds so much nuance to already ambitious, complex works. Every moment of his lengthy career is given some attention in this documentary, which does take the form of a whistle-stop tour of his career, but not in the sense that it just comments without adding something to the conversation, which is a credit to both Brooks for being so willing to discuss his experiences and inspirations, and Reiner for asking the questions that allow the subject to open up and reveal some fascinating insights into his life and career.

At a cursory glance, there isn’t anything particularly pressing that demanded Reiner make this film – outside of a slower output of work, Brooks seems to be in good health and as lively as ever, which is a welcome change from the tendency only to make these films after someone has passed. This film would not have made nearly as much of an impact had it been made when it was too late since the appeal of the story is that it is Brooks himself narrating his own life, which is done in conversation with his friend, who asks all the right questions and guides the discussion to places where even the most avid of Brooks devotees would find new information, which is immediately a reason to take note of this film as more than just a run-of-the-mill entertainment documentary. Albert Brooks: Defending My Life is the definitive text for any devotee to Brooks’ work, the perfect companion to his career, whether it is his work as an actor, director or writer, all of the various positions he has held in the industry being explored in detail. Much more than just a cursory analysis of his career, the film is a wonderfully endearing examination of his life, one that avoids needless sentimentality (which is likely something that both Brooks and Reiner wanted – the film has moments of complex emotions, but none of them are tacky), but still offers a different side of this incredible artist. If nothing else, Albert Brooks: Defending My Life proves just how fortunate we are to be alive at the same time as its subject – a man of impeccable moral virtue and artistic integrity, who has spent his career not only aiming to make audiences laugh, but examining the very nature of humour as a uniting force, which has essentially been his thesis statement all along. Endearing, funny and heartfelt, Reiner has provided such a compelling portrait of his friend, whose remarkable life is the very definition of inspiration, particularly his forthright insistence on being himself and pursuing the career that he felt was the best representative of his qualities as an artist.