Extraordinary Film within a film

Rating: 10/10 (3 April 2007)

I'm both surprised and not at the limited advertising and public turnout for this movie. I loved it with the emotion I have for American Beauty in th aspect that most people who watch this movie will not get the movie within the movie, the story within the story. Most people will just see a gymnastics movie, when it has NOTHING to do with gymnastics whatsoever. There is irony in just that. The movie says " There's never 'nothing' going on" which coincides with American Beauty's "Look Closer". To appreciate this movie your mindset needs to be exactly in the place that is being taught in the film. You need to get in tune with your inner self in order to look beyond yourself to service others. If you understood that last sentence, I think you can truly appreciate this movie. Synopsis: Dan Millner, played by Scott Mechlowicz ( who Jesus, is just freaking sexy, and has beautiful eyes and lips... ahem... anyway... ) is an incredible gymnast on his way to the Olympics. He's got everything those around him would die for. Got the looks, the girls, the strength, the respect, the reputation, the smarts, the heart, the will, but the mindset? Not yet. Cocky & stubborn, and limited by what he was taught he's having trouble sleeping at night. He ends up stumbling upon a somewhat run down service station where he meets a special someone ( Nick Nolte ) who he labels Socrates. Socrates teaches him how to fully live. Not to just be going through life, but to be actually living it. Focusing on it. Moment by moment so that not one is left unnoticed. I love this movie and realize that it is indeed the journey we're on that matters most, not the destination. There are no ordinary moments. Every moment of every day a life ends, and another begins. EVERY moment. It's incredible. It's EXTRA ordinary. It's the beauty of why we're here. For the experience, not the outcome. For the people we interact with, not where we end up. It's not weather you win or lose it's how you play the game, and who you interact with along the way. It's astounding to me how many lives this movie has and will touch. Remember " The people who are hardest to love are usually the ones who need it the most" * the only flaw in this movie is how to make a PB&J properly... sorry, but the jelly belongs on top. Live in the moment because the destination is nothing without the journey. Two enthusiastic thumbs up!