Watch I Am For Free

People are voting emotionally.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Have you noticed how the world seems to be really messed up today? From wars to innocent Americans being shot in the streets; the national news is shocking and seems to keep getting worse. Tom Shadyac, the director Jim Carry's funniest movies, had catastrophic event that altered his life. He sold all his property, stop directly comedies, and dug deep into finding out "What's Wrong With the World? and What Can We Do About it?. The answers he discovered resonate with what the ancients, saints, sages, educators of today already know; the world is broken; and we are doing it. Tom interviews scientists, religious leaders, environmentalists and philosophers and the information they reveal is compelling, inspiring, and motivating! To solve our greed, hostility, and violent world transformation is required; individually and collectively. Transformation requires knowledge, desire, and effort. This film gives us the knowledge. Dare to look at reality.

My biggest problem with this documentary is that it doesn't make mention of one inescapable fact: Killer Instinct has been hard-wired into our DNA. Thom Hartmann (whose show I watch every day on Free Speech TV) points out that "Democracy is in our DNA." And he's right. But so is Killer Instinct. In fact, based on a lifetime of observation, I'd venture that Killer Instinct is Man's strongest drive. The evidence is all around us. (As I write this, the Israelis have just murdered more than 700 Palestinians in Gaza, the Russians are doing essentially the same thing in the Ukraine, and the good ol' U.$. is "conducting operations" in at least half a dozen countries around the world- including having a third go at Iraq.) Democracy may well be ingrained in the DNA of OTHER animals, but as for US... I'll believe it when I see it.

I AM reminds me of the Vietnam-era general's quote: We had to destroy the village to save it. I AM has a correct message, but destroys its effectiveness with a lot of new-agey cow pies. (Not sure what the lingo standards are on IMDb.) Lets begin with the big lies. In 1500, the scientists DID NOT say the earth was flat. In fact, 1500 was well into the enlightenment. Even during the Middle Ages the scholars (not "scientists" in the modern sense of the term) knew and said the earth was round. Even during the Dark Ages they knew – and said – the earth was curved. Hemisphere? Globe? They were uncertain, but they definitely knew it was not flat. Yes, they said it was at the center of the cosmos, but it was scientists who proved that wrong. Also, the movie constantly reiterates that scientists have depicted man as separate from the rest of nature, and even parts of nature separate from each other. The statement is true but ignores the science of the last hundred years, which has increasingly changed that view. It was scientists with mathematicians who discovered quantum entanglement (mentioned in I AM), along with quantum physics. And it was a scientists who decades ago stated that the universe resembles less a clock than mind.It is true, as another commenter writes, that love and cooperation are in our genes. But so is aggression and violence – just read Jane Goodall's account of chimps, or her statements given in interviews. She wrote of seeing one chimpanzee clan literally wipe out another whose members had previously been part of the first clan.As carlupq points out, the references in the movie (to trees and lions only taking what they need) is ridiculous. Carrier pigeons were once so plentiful in America, that their flocks would destroy a forest by merely occupying it for a month. And biological die-offs are common in nature, the result of natural imbalances building up to collapses.And yet, clearly, Tom Shadyac is not entirely off-base. We HAVE developed an obsession with money and stuff, and it IS destroying our nation and the world. We are as off-balance as populations prior to die-offs. Worse, we've lost our way spiritually. Commenter carlupq goes a bit too far in his rah-rah for the free market, but we – our society and the world's advanced nations, and advancing ones too – need a new vision. Poverty is not the answer, nor is a mythical touchy-feely view of man as this inherently kind and caring creature – who coincidently happens to have been slaughtering his fellow man and despoiling his environment since the earliest large groupings arose.No, I AM correctly points to the need for change, a fundamental change in our thinking and our subsequent doings. Unfortunately, it plays off of, and spreads, too many silly ideas to be taken seriously by any except those already in the new-age fold. We need to convince the average Joe and Jane who live in the city and suburbia, and who recognize both the good and the evil in man, that we have to change, and that their children and grandchildren will ultimately be happier by our doing so. We will not convince them with unrealistic views of nature and mankind, but only by the real dangers of continuing on our current paths.

I saw I Am at a screening a few weeks before it came out in theaters. After the film, Tom Shadyac himself entered the auditorium and answered any questions we viewers had. I Am is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. Well, I can admit that it could have been better in terms of a movie, but the subject matter is great, and Tom Shadyac is totally correct.Tom Shadyac has mostly been known for directing comedies, such as Ace Ventura and Bruce Almighty, and making money from the successes of his movies. He was behaving more or less like many people with that much money do, especially filmmakers - just grabbing for money. However, after suffering a terrible bicycle accident resulting in a concussion and a very near death, Shadyac began to realize the true values in life, and how his wrong capitalist lifestyle had been. As a result, he made this documentary. Now, there have been many statements, speculations, documentaries, etc. on problems with our world, but Tom Shadyac's is different. He actually goes deeper looking for a common cause for all of these other problems.Humans have evolved and formed a society based on competition. As a matter of fact, we base our lifestyles, customs, etc. too much upon competition - making money, the economy, fighting, etc. However, other animals - fish, birds, deer, you name it - have taken a more natural way of life - cooperation. Tom points out evidence to this in several natural scenarios, typical stuff, yet with an element to it that I have never really noticed before. He shows us a few examples such as some schools of fish and a group of deer, in which essences of democracy and cooperation are clearly evident. We, humans, like I said before, have come to value competition more than cooperation - money, work, etc. I'm not saying, and nor is Tom, that we should stop being competitive altogether and become totally cooperative. All we're saying is that we need to also value cooperation more, and establish a better balance between competition and cooperation/love.Wow, I am pretty bad at explaining this, especially since it has now been a long time since I saw the film. However, I do still remember it - well, mostly the overall message. It really can't be fully explained - it must be seen. Yes, this documentary is a must-see for everybody - every single person, from every culture, every race, every region, etc. - who has any access to movie theaters, or some means of watching movies. There is some ridiculous stuff in the film, mostly concerning science, etc., but even so, a lot of the film is good, and the deep message of it is strong and important. Even if you end up hating it, just go see it anyway, and just listen and watch. Then, afterward, start acting upon what you just saw - even the smallest actions have an effect, on everything.What's wrong with the world? A lot of things. What's right with the world? I Am. You are.My Rating: **** (out of ****)For more reviews, visit my website: http://robertsreliablereviews.blogspot.com