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Peaceful Warrior (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:71
Fresh:17
Rotten:54
Average Rating:4.7/10
Consensus: Based on a best-selling memoir, Peaceful Warrior loses something in the transition from page to screen. It hits the viewer over the head with philosophical jargon, and ultimately fails to live up to its source material.
Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Arrogant, talented Dan Millman seems to have the perfect college life: a stunning gymnast's body of incredible strength, handsome looks, good grades, plenty of money and a shot at the Olympic... Arrogant, talented Dan Millman seems to have the perfect college life: a stunning gymnast's body of incredible strength, handsome looks, good grades, plenty of money and a shot at the Olympic qualifiers in men's gymnastics. Still, Dan wakes up almost nightly from terrifying nightmares and odd visions he can't explain or dismiss. One night, awakened by yet another nightmare, Dan goes for a run through his foggy neighborhood and comes upon a well-lit service station. Behind the counter, an old man seemingly moves without regard for space or time. One moment, Dan is paying for his snacks, the next the old man is on the roof of the station. Stunned by this impossibility, Dan begs the old man, whom he instinctually names Socrates, to share the secret of his abilities in order to achieve his goal of Olympic Gold. The old man puts him through a regimen that changes his diet, training, and lifestyle. Before long, his life is ruined, and he loses his friends, his girls, and is almost thrown off his Gymnastics squad. Thus begins a journey of discovery for Dan that will shatter every preconceived notion he has about academics, athletics, and achievement. Guided by Socrates, Dan will consider a whole new ideology-one that values consciousness over intelligence, strength in spirit over strength in body. But in order to succeed, Dan must somehow let go of all of his expectations - and simply live in the now... Based on The Way of Peaceful Warrior, Dan Millman's best-selling spiritual memoir, PEACEFUL WARRIOR explores the highly competitive world of men's gymnastics, while introducing an astonishing philosophy that awakens the human spirit. A celebration of the achievements made possible by an open mind, PEACEFUL WARRIOR is a sports movie not about imagined perfection or victory - but about heart. --© Official Site [More]
Starring: Ashton Holmes, Nick Nolte, Scott Mechlowicz, Amy Smart
Starring: Ashton Holmes, Nick Nolte, Scott Mechlowicz, Amy Smart, Agnes Bruckner
Director: Victor Salva
Director: Victor Salva
Screenwriter: Kevin Bernhardt
Producer: Mark Amin, Robin Schorr, Cami Winikoff
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Reviews for Peaceful Warrior
The film's tone is indeed mystically propelled, but while these elements seem far fetched, the sheer depth of commitment by the cast make us overlook that.
This is an average movie that's chock-full of New-Age-y self help. And not much else.
claims to be 'inspired by true events'; the movie does not, however, specify the planet on which these events allegedly took place. ... a perfect companion piece to last year's dim-witted 'Stick It'...
Warrior is a good-looking film that feels more like an allegory about the power of positive thinking than a drama.
You will not learn how to levitate to the roof of a service station. In fact, the answer to that part of the story is a lemon -- but you knew it would be, didn't you?
The message is good, even if the delivery is repetitive, ham-handed and...equal parts disturbing and amusing.
Only in filmmaker Victor Salva's world are impossibly chiseled, Abercrombie-ready gymnasts worshipped by their peers on college campuses and in adjoining dive bars.
Works overtime to inspire audiences, but relies way too much on pop-mysticism and half-baked artifice to make its point stick.
Maybe there are worthy films buried in collections of spiritual homilies, but Peaceful Warrior is not one of them.
Admittedly, I suspected it might be kind of cheesy, but the film is directed with great grace and care. And the acting is solid. It's a beautiful film -- see it.
Don't go see Peaceful Warrior. Don't tell your friends about it. Try to forget you ever heard of the movie. Clear your mind and live in the now.
A movie about spiritual awakening that plays like a spliced-together string of New Age fortune cookie messages.
Peaceful Warrior is an inspirational story of the making of a true athlete. It's a bit hokey but you get by that whenever [Nick] Nolte is on the screen.
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