Tuesday, May 10, 2011

I AM, the documentary

I have never been much of a fan of Jim Carrey, and before I saw this documentary, I had never heard of Tom Shadyac. He directed Jim Carrey in some of his biggest hits, like Bruce Almighty and Ace Ventura. I think I saw Bruce Almighty, but it was by accident rather than design. His kind of humor has never been my favorite, since I tend to lean toward satirical stuff like Jon Stewart and even some British humor like Monty Python. I remember nothing from that movie.

But I will remember this documentary for a long time, partly because it spoke to me of things I've always believed, like the fact that the heart is the seat of emotion and that our hearts and minds can change the world, if we get aligned with other like-minded people. After I got home from seeing the movie, I immediately went to Rotten Tomatoes to find that only 44% of the reviewers liked it, but 79% of the audience did. Yep, my kind of movie, all right. I sat in the movie and wept over parts of it, cringed over other parts, and let my imagination and desire sweep me away for the rest of it.

The title comes from Tom Shadyac, who asked the question about what's wrong with the world today, and what can be done to change it. He had amassed a fortune from those comedies he either directed, wrote, or produced, owning a huge mansion in Beverly Hills and his own private jet. But then he had a bicycle accident that left him very injured and depressed. He began to wonder what he needed to do in order to become happy. He knew that wealth itself was not the answer, so he wrote and directed the documentary I AM in order to find out. The documentary has many notables in it, like Desmond Tutu (who I just love to listen to), Thom Hartmann and Noam Chomsky, to name a few others.

Roger Ebert was not a fan. He wrote this review, and he says the following therein:
You see, I am a rationalist. That means I'm not an ideal viewer for a documentary like "I Am," which involves the ingestion of Woo Woo in industrial bulk. When I see a man whose mind is being read by yogurt, I expect to find that man in a comedy starring, oh, someone like Jim Carrey.
You either love it or you leave the theater with the taste of industrial Woo Woo in your mouth. I loved it but then again, I was once removed from serving on a jury of my peers because of being way too much of a bleeding heart liberal. If you get a chance to see this documentary, I would really like to know what YOU think of it. In my heart of hearts, I believe that I am changing the world for the better, and this documentary affirms that belief.

15 comments:

  1. I really want to see this...and must find a theater showing for it. So glad for your suggestion. And what does Roger Ebert know? He's been long faded from the scene. I've never been one to trust the reviewers that work for the source.
    This is a must see...thanks DJan.

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  2. I can't wait to see this film. I thought I wanted to before I read your post, now I must. I love this post. It's wonderfully written, and I so agree with the premise and practice of this movie, as you've described it. I had fallen back a bit lately and feeling a tad down, so this was the perfect infusion to get me back on track. Cannot thank you enough.... really.

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  3. nice...thanks for the review on this...had not heard of it and will put it in the line to view....

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  4. Ok, now I'm intrigued. But I probably won't get to a theater to see it. Hope it is released to video.

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  5. Always good to see something that confirms your ideals. Helps you to carry on. I will watch and see if I Am comes this way.

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  6. Well, you've got me wondering. Because I'm a bleeding heart liberal who really doesn't care for woo woo at all.

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  7. I haven't heard of this movie but it does sound interesting. I don't get to the movies much but I catch it on DVD for sure. Thanks for the review DJan.

    My tastes in comedy is similar to yours but I have seen Ace Ventura, it was funny.

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  8. I've never heard of this, but I shall add it to my Netflix queue. Sounds interesting although I've always liked Roger Ebert. I am from Chicago, after all.

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  9. I'm glad there's at least one person in Hollyweird trying to make a difference. Instead of just a buck.

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  10. I cannot stand Jim Carrey..I do not enjoy his humor or him..he reminds me of someone I know who is just plain stupid and breathing good air. Chances are I would not entertain the thought of actually paying to see a movie he is in:)

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  11. This is very interesting. I'm not much of a Jim Carrey fan either, but this film really does seem intriguing. I will have to check it out. Thanks for the review.

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  12. I already had this in my Netflix queue. I suppose it will be a year before I get to see it. :)

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  13. What an amazing recommendation. I'm off to add the movie to our queue.

    We usually have the same response to Rotten Tomatoes - we like what real people like, not necessarily what the critics do.

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  14. This sounds interesting. I've never much liked the movies the critics praise and vice versa so there's a pretty good chance I'd enjoy this. It sounds like the perfect movie to go see with my sister since we are big into the Woo Woo type stuff:)

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  15. Okay I love documentaries so I'll see this and let you know how it impacted me.

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