Review of I Am (2011) by Crystal C — 31 May 2011

How well do you treat your yogurt? Will PETA one day fine you for being abusive to your food? Are you aware that you might be breathing the same Argon as Jesus Christ and Muhammad? And how is all that connected to little ol' you?

This pretty documentary was written and narratied by Tom Shadyac, the man who directed films such as Ace Ventura and Bruce Almighty. I have to admit, this was not my movie choice. My most hippie friend wanted to go and I inwardly cringed- I was afraid it would either make me sad or irritate the heck out of me. It did neither. The movie definitely has an agenda - it wants you to make a difference in the lives of others. Shadyac decided to make this film after an intense head trauma caused him to reevaluate his life. He asks two questions: What is wrong with the world and how can we fix it? He provides interviews with many great people (such as Desmond Tutu) and discusses several ideas that I want to learn more about-- quantum entanglement, the "story of science", and measuring the information in the space between heartbeats, to name a few. It also inspired me to read some Darwin (we'll see if that happens!).

I'm a natural skeptic who wants to believe (both in UFOs, God, and the goodness of humanity) so, although I found myself questioning some of the science and the context of much of the information, I left the movie theatre in a much, much happier mood than when I entered. I'll pay nine bucks for that any day. (And yes, I too wondered if Shadyac got hit in the head a bit too hard... but truthfully, does it matter? He seems happier and I like this movie better than Bruce Almighty!).

And I won't spoil the opening. You'll have to watch the movie to find out about the yogurt. Oh! And a great soundtrack. I heard part of Newman's music from American Beauty and "Society." Good stuff.