We were talking here about the shooting locations for Albert Brooks' 1991 film, Defending Your Life. And lo and behold, I receive this from Jason Roberts…
I wanted to chime in about your posts on Albert Brooks and Defending Your Life. I have a unique perspective on the subject as I worked on the movie as a Production Assistant. I also was in the movie twice but got cut out of one of the sequences. I attached a photo of the cut scene below (I'm the one sitting next to Albert). My remaining part was that of the hands that buckle Albert into his tram at the end of the movie.
I remember specifically one notable inside trivia location, where all of his workplace scenes were shot at Albert's brother Cliff Einstein's advertising offices at Dailey and Associates, where he was the CEO at the time. Also the sushi restaurant was shot at a place on Ventura Blvd. in Encino that Albert used to frequent as he lived in the area at the time.
The fountain scene where he has "brain envy" was shot by city hall in downtown L.A. at the Grand Park outdoor mall area. I am sure if I watched the movie again I could recall more of the places we filmed at.
Thanks for sharing all of your thoughts on the movie. That and the documentary brought up a lot of memories.
Thanks for sharing those memories, Jason. I'm not quite sure why but the movie struck a special chord with me, moreso than Mr. Brooks' other films, most of which I also liked a lot. I recall seeing it at a Writers Guild screening during one of those rare moments when we weren't all out on strike.
Afterwards, everyone was outside on the sidewalk — not picketing but discussing the movie with great enthusiasm. I think the "you can eat all you want" aspect of it registered big with some folks but it did get some of us talking about times in our lives when we felt shamed to be as cowardly as we'd been. It also seemed to inspire a few people to want to go get sushi but I think Brooks would have been pleased with either reaction.