I Am - 2 1/2 smiles

“I Am” is, for the most part, a talking-heads documentary written and directed by Tom Shadyac, known for such comedies as Ace Ventura, The Nutty Professor and Bruce Almighty. Only this time around, Shadyac is serious in his pursuit of answers to the questions ‘What’s wrong with the world?’ and ‘What can we do about it?’ as he consults with top scientists, historians, spiritual leaders and philosophers. In 2007, Shadyac had a terrible cycling accident that resulted in something called post concussion syndrome, which means that the original concussion doesn’t go away. The horrible pain, mood swings and sensitivity to movement and light can lead to suicide. Luckily for Shadyac, relief does come, but his brush with death caused him to re-evaluate everything.

At first, the answers are what you’d expect. Money is the root of all evil and society and the economy dictates that one’s success must come at another’s expense. But indigenous cultures, the experts say, take this as a sign of mental illness. And recent studies of human DNA and the heart and brain reveal that there is growing evidence that humans are more hard-wired for cooperation and compassion that we might expect. After all, what’s your reaction when you see a video clip of someone falling off his motorcycle and sliding across the asphalt? The general conclusion of those he consulted is that there is much that is right with the world rather than wrong. People do prefer to cooperate and do naturally feel compassion. It’s our society that superimposes ‘values’ that are contrary to natural man. But Shadyac also seems to be saying that each of us must do what we can to make the world a better place, even if it’s one kindness a day. So if the New Agey philosophy of interconnectedness feels right, you’ll enjoy “I Am.” Too bad the ‘Greed is good’ group, like oil companies, Wall Street, most billionaires, etc., behave as if they have no such links and too bad that Shadyac doesn't really address them. 3/24/11