One of my favorite movies, Defending Your Life, was on last night. It stars the fabulous Meryl Streep, and the then-brilliant Albert Brooks. (I saw the trailer for Brooks's newest film, co-starring Michael Douglas, Saturday night, and I'm a little concerned he's turning into a parody of himself. He was never a nebbish; he was always a guy just a little out of his depth.) The whole overcoming fear part of it is terrific, although the metaphysics aren't as neatly worked out as one might think. Still, the basic premise is workable, and the notion that we spend a lifetime trying to work ourselves out of harmful patterns into healthy ones is refreshingly presented. Rent it.