Here's an inspirational story for the holidays: Director Tom Shadyac was living the dream as the A-List director of cash cows like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Nutty Professor and Liar Liar. Then, after surviving a near-fatal bike accident, Shadyac adopted a completely new perspective on life. He sold his house and moved into a mobile home, got out of Hollywood, and gave away a large amount of his money. Now, he's directed the documentary I am, which purports to examine what's wrong with the world and what we can do to change it.
No snark here - as far as inspirational, life-affirming films go, this looks like the real deal. Besides an amusing introduction to Shadyac's previous work which will no doubt help with marketing, it seems like the filmmaker keeps his own impressive story out of the limelight and focuses on the subjects of the documentary. Yeah, the overblown music and the shots of birds riding on the backs of elephants are a bit much, and it's hard to tell how close Shadyac comes to finding the solutions that he seeks, but this is just the trailer. Besides, it gets a pass for its refreshing sincerity and lack of cynicism, both of which are rarities in supposedly feel-good movies these days. For more on Shadyac and the film, check out this extensive LA Times profile.
Verdict: Sold.
[Via / Film]