If you don’t believe it can happen, you’d have thought the book was hoaky too. But it has long been one of my favorite “intro spirituality” books (if people don’t get this book, they won’t get anything spiritual). The movie was true to the book’s message.

And Nick Nolte was a terrific Socrates. Mmmmm-good.

All the acting was GREAT. They changed some details, like the type of gymnastics (the real Dan was a trampolinist if that is a word) to avoid exposition. And the ending. I knew they couldn’t end it like the book, where he is sitting in a cave and sees that he is one with all. Just not very cinematic that. I was concerned that they would end it with competition which puts stupid and undue emphasis on competition which is really the antithesis of the book/movie. They did end it with competition but in a way, I think, that de-emphasized it some. Of course, the stupid competition prone won’t get that but hey.

I read the book on which this film is based (“Way of the Peaceful Warrior”) many years ago, and found it very inspiring. Come to think of it, that book was probably my introduction to the concept of mindfulness, which is something that has become a foundation of my spiritual practice. When I found out it had been made into a film, I decided to take my seven-year-old son to see it, in the hopes that it would help us have a starting point for some discussions about spirituality and mindfulness.

So, this afternoon, we drove to the nearest theatre at which it was showing (half an hour’s drive from home – I’m disappointed that it’s not in wider release. I guess it doesn’t have a big commercial appeal, which is a shame, really). It was a good film, although perhaps moved a bit slow at times. (Although the final scene made up for any previous slowness – it was powerful). There were some touching moments, and I do think it got the point of the book across – that all we have is THIS moment, and striving for things because we think they’ll “make us happy” in the future is futile. I also think that my son got a glimpse of this concept for himself – on the way home, we were discussing it and I asked if it made sense to him, and he said, “A little bit.” Which is a good place for us to start our discussion, I think.