Very good, could've been even better

Rating: 8/10 (13 February 2008)

You probably don't need another synopsis, so I'll present this viewpoint....this movie clearly brought home its message, which I interpreted to coincide with that of many spiritual and religious practices - i.e. peace and happiness come from within and we must learn to live in the moment etc.. In that aspect, it accomplished its point. On the other hand, I felt some of the scenes were a bit contrived and over the top. Some of the visions, the "reflex" scenes, and some of the dialog were a bit much. Perhaps a little more subtlety would've made this a great movie for me rather than a good one. By no means am I an expert in meditation or Buddhist philosophies (or the like), but I have read a couple of books on the subjects. I view the matter as so pure in itself that any affected or overdone presentation of it (no matter how miniscule) gets me a little annoyed and makes me feel a bit unfulfilled. One might find a bit more fluffless approach in the book, Zen and the Art of Happiness, or in the DVD, The Secret Is There Are No Secrets.