Blown away

Rating: 10/10 (6 January 2002)

I don't understand why there are quite a few reviewers who didn't understand the movie. To me everything was completely resolved (some reviewers felt it was OVER-EXPLAINED, but I didn't mind it because it certainly helped ME understand it).
The thing is, the Life Extension and Lucid Dreams mumbo jumbo were simply vehicles for the writer to express his central ideas. That of Consequence. That the "little things are the big things." The tiniest decision we make (getting in the car) can have a profound impact on our future. That may sound bleak, but at the same time it is enveloped by the other, this one positive, idea that "every minute of your life is a chance to turn things around." The film was able to show these ideas very powerfully, to great effect.
When, at the end of the film, it mentioned "that one night when true love was a possibility" and then showed David (Cruise) hesitate and eventually get into Julie's (Diaz) car...it was extremely sad.
Another idea repeated in the film was the question "what is happiness to you?" Simple question, but extremely difficult to answer. And if one can't answer it, how can he be happy?
It seems like many recent films have been questioning our concept of reality - Being John Malkovich, Fight Club, The Matrix, Vanilla Sky, Memento (tangentially).
Vanilla Sky is a thought provoking, discussion initiating film, with a powerful message. I was absolutely blown away.
10/10