For the
sake of not having to write the same intro a million
different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that
this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull
process of full film reviews and instead opts to break
things down based on what I thought going in, what happened
while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all.
Thanks for reading!
The
Breakdown - I Am
The Impression:
Tom Shadyac’s made a lot of high-concept, low-brow comedies
in his life, and this, a documentary about life as we very
well know it, seems a little outside of his comfort zone.
The Reality:
I Am has at its core a decent concept. Tom Shadyac,
director of Liar Liar and a plethora of other Jim
Carrey starring vehicles, got in to a serious bike accident
a while bike and the after-effects of a terrible concussion
pushed him nearly to suicide. In the wake of this ordeal he
thought, "I should find out what’s going on with our world"
and thus set out to interview the world’s preeminent
thinkers about the state of this here rotating orb. What
comes out of Shadyac’s quest is, sadly, another entry in to
the new wave of feel-good about our shitty Earth
documentaries. At its heart, I Am is a positive
reinforcement of the sort of ideas that need to be bandied
about more - we are good people, and the way to take care of
our Earth is to continue, in all ways to be good people. A
film that the cheery, smiling, loving portion of myself
wants the entire world to see so maybe a kernel of Shadyac’s
revived enthusiasm for the good of man can grow. Good
intentions aside, I Am left me feeling nauseous with
earnestness. Shadyac, the films beaming host, is as blunt
and obnoxious as many of his films. His ideas lack no
subtlety, no depth, and the film feels too happy because of
it. Maybe I’m a codger who just can’t stand a film that so
overtly highlights the positive nature of humanity, but
there’s certain air of over-ripeness in the film that left
me annoyed and battered about the head by good vibes. Mr.
Shadyac, I applaud your effort, even your enthusiasm, but I
can not say I applaud your film.
The Lesson:
Happy movies make me angry. I’m a terrible person.
- Noah Sanders
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