Review of Life of a King (2013) by Frances H — 26 Mar 2016

My beef with movie critics starts here again. Although movies such as Melancholia (depressing as hell) and The Godfather trilogy (which glorifies crime, greed and murdering you own family for money) get the high ratings from them, they give low ratings to an inspiring film such as this one, which is well acted and glorifies a man who rectifies his mistakes wiithout self pity and spends the rest of his life giving meaning to the lives of young people, who might otherwise have fallen through the cracks that led him astray when he was young.

The message here is hopeful and positive, so naturally critics find it "formulaic," "predictable," and a "twisted parody of high school and mentoring whose achievements are entirely accidental.

" This from a man who criticizes people for a living and has probably never taught a day in a public school in his life. Well, I have, and let me tell you, trying to redirect young people bent on being part of a group of "cool kids" is never accidental and a very difficult cause to which to devote your life.

Doing so while correcting your own mistakes is incredible. The number of people willing to dedicate their lives to helping students in impoverished inner cities to find a more meaningful path in life than gangs and drugs and money that comes at a cost of one's soul is to be lauded, not criticized.

Instead of complaining that it so "common" to try to make a difference in the world, get off your lazy quasi-intellectual duff and try to improve the dire situation in the world today yourself.

Only then will you be qualified to criticize such an effort by someone else who is really dedicating his life to others.