Great Film? Absolutely Not

Rating: 6/10 (24 November 2007)

POSSIBLE SPOILERS
"Based on actual events?" ??????? Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz) may have been a talented gymnast who shattered his leg in a motorcycle accident. And perhaps he recovered, against all medical odds, to lead Cal-Berkeley to a national championship. I don't know about that.
Millman may have arrived at some sort of spiritual insight that helped him overcome his injuries and achieve an athletic miracle. But that would be hard (impossible?) to dramatize.
So the film-makers created a deus ex machina -- a garage attendant/philosopher (whom Millman may have imagined) -- to teach him lessons about himself and the world. It is those lessons that enable Millman to achieve the impossible.
Spiritual seekers find meaning in this film. That's okay with me. But it isn't much of a movie. If deserves the obscurity that has befallen it,