In the film, Brooks stars as a man who has died and finds himself in a purgatory-like pleasant way station where he must actually, literally defend his life at a formal hearing in order to advance into Heaven itself.
In his preparations for this 'hearing' he meets a character played by Meryl Streep, someone who appears in so many ways to be more intellectually and morally advanced than Brooks.
Through the emotional help of this woman, along with a self-examination of his own life, Brooks is able to find success in his defense, and entry into paradise.
What this pleasant little film highlights is that there are any number of moments and periods in all of our lives where we fall short as human beings. Where our own physical, intellectual, and moral shortcomings win out, and our human weakness takes over. Where we do the wrong thing when we clearly know what is right. Where we fail to learn from past mistakes, and where these errors end up hurting not only ourselves but also those around us.
In the end, Brooks is saved from his many moments of failure and weakness by the overall generosity of his heart and spirit, his ability to love truly, and particularly by his faith.
In my own life there have been many challenges, some circumstantial, many self-induced, which I have had to overcome in this life journey to self-improvement and character building.
