Real Life

Albert Brooks begins filming the Yeagers as they return from vacation, with cameras mounted around their house and on helmets worn by the crew. The project aims to capture a full year of ordinary life, joys and sorrows alike. The family is visibly nervous under the constant gaze of the cameras.

Back at home, Brooks takes an hour off to browse antiques while the family sits down for pizza and argues about strict filming rules. Tensions surface at the dinner table as the camera's presence replaces normal privacy. Warren's harsh remarks cause him to eat alone, highlighting the strain the project places on familial bonds.

Doctors Howard Hill and Ted Cleary arrive to monitor the project’s integrity and progress. Cleary voices worry that constant filming could erode the family’s sense of reality and autonomy. Their involvement introduces a professional counterpoint to Brooks’ improvisational approach.

Jeanette leaves the house without cameras to decompress, seeking relief from the invasive setup. She later invites Brooks to a gynecologist appointment, initially flattering him but turning awkward when she kisses him. Brooks, unsettled, warns that his charisma isn't deep and that he is not the answer to their problems.

The gynecologist balks at appearing on camera, citing a damning past news story. Brooks tries to buy his cooperation with $500, only to recognize him as the infamous baby broker from the report, and the man refuses.

Warren brings the crew to witness a day at his veterinary practice. The stress of cameras makes him jittery, and during a routine horse surgery he accidentally orders an anesthetic twice, killing the animal. Warren pleads with Brooks not to show the footage, but Brooks refuses, citing the need to reveal reality as it occurs.

Brooks, still in clown costume, visits the Yeager home to cheer the kids. In a private moment with Warren and Jeannette, Warren confesses he fears he's on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Brooks dismisses the gravity but tries to offer comfort and practical perspective.

After a meeting with doctors, scientists from the institute, and a film producer, Dr. Cleary leaves the project, criticizing how the family has been treated. The departure signals growing ethical concerns about the limits of the documentary experiment. Brooks must navigate a shifting moral landscape as the project evolves.

Cleary’s book about the project is published, sensationalizing it as mind-control and psychological rape. Newscasters descend on the Yeagers, bringing intense scrutiny and discomfort to the family. Brooks and the institute worry about the lasting impact of the public attention.

Hill, the institute, and the film producer press for early termination of the project. Brooks brings the Yeagers to a final meeting where they express a clear desire to end their participation. They refuse to stay, and the producer pays them in full to apologize for the stress endured.

Desperate to find a definitive ending, Brooks copies endings from classic cinema and adopts a Gone with the Wind-inspired finale. He burns down the Yeagers’ house in a symbolic climax, though no one is harmed by the blaze. The act forces everyone to confront the consequences of a year-long intimate experiment.

An epilogue text reveals the house has been rebuilt and a tennis court added for appreciation. It notes that Cleary’s book sold poorly and that he is now ill. The film closes by inviting real-life historians to call a number for documentation of the project.