Powerful

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The acting in this movie is really good.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

"The Karate Kid," "Rocky," "Rudy," and similar films provide the untimely story of overcoming fear and believing in your own capabilities that lead to success and inner happiness summarizes this screenplay. You'll have to be a fan of gymnastics to enjoy this interpretation of guts to glory.

Alright, so going through the reviews it's painfully obvious someone who created the movie is writing overwhelmingly positive reviews under recently created accounts to bump up the IMDb score... seeing how they all give ten stars, have atrocious grammar, and are all within the same time frame. And, every other review names the movie as it actually is, a disgusting waste.Now, the fake comments easily summarize the movie for what it is; a fake, corporate, pretentious and phoned-in mess. The movie was written as a Hallmark produced pamphlet of inspirational quotes- which really isn't that far from the original source material. Mindless things you've heard a thousand times, like "be yourself!" and "live in the now!". The dialogue is cringe, clichéd and delivered with obnoxious performances. I hate Nick Nolte for this. His stupid, monotone, pretentious lines and delivery; his character, named Socrates, is so infuriatingly on- the-nose with third grade reading level symbolism it's disgusting.Our main man is an Andrew Garfield discount, with a third of the charm or skill. He is written the way evangelical moms or corporate producers think college students are like. He's insufferable, unlikable, and you're frustrated or bored with him.The characters are all cardboard cutouts and fill some stupid, mindless quota of what some dribbling idiot thought a movie about sports and inspirational quotes should be. The story line and pacing alone will make you irritated.The cinematography and set design is so bad, it somehow makes Berkeley and the East Bay look like a stucco and beige paint wasteland. The shots are vague and boring, over-the-shoulder. Everything feels so plastic and fake (which also describes the entire movie). This movie is for idiots who like sports that nobody cares about, and have such completely worthless lives they need to pick up HallMark cards with slogans literally written into this movie.God almighty.

Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz) is an University gymnast haunted by fears and close to qualifying for the Olympics. He's reckless hard-partying young man. After a nightmare, he goes running and encounters gas station attendant Socrates (Nick Nolte) who may have supernatural powers. Socrates asks him "Are you happy?" He also meets Joy (Amy Smart) at the station. Dan accepts Socrates' offer to train him as a real warrior.Nick Nolte as a spiritual guide is mind-bender. Scott Mechlowicz is OK as a brash young man but Paul Wesley could be better. He doesn't have the likability when he acts like a douche. There is a lot of zen spiritual self-help Miyagi stuff being spewed but it overwhelms the movie at times. I don't particularly like the lead character and I don't particularly get the message from this message movie. It exists and yet it doesn't.

Based on the bestselling book by Dan Millman, "Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives." This is a movie I really wanted to like. The story of an elite athlete that overcomes a potentially life-altering injury only to triumph in the end through perseverance and inner-healing, based on true events? Nick Nolte as the wise teacher and Amy Smart as eye candy? How can you not cheer for this? Don't get me wrong. This is a decent movie to watch for an evening. It's above-average as a story compared to most dreck being thrown at us recently. However, the point of a movie where your protagonist grows and matures from a spoiled, entitled brat into a mature, enlightened warrior would be perfect... If the actor playing the lead wasn't so pompous and arrogant through the entire movie. Scott Mechlowicz as "Dan" fits the opening with his spoiled, naturally-gifted, "me-first" athlete perfectly. His arrogant elitism sets up the character as someone who needs to take a fall to bring much-needed humility. However, as the story unfolds, the actor does not become an empathetic character. He's still unlikeable. Question: If you had Ghandi, Buddha, or Jesus Christ inspiring you personally to overcome your demons, showing you ways to open your mind and experience "the moment" in ways you had never imagined, wouldn't that make you into a much calmer, wiser, more APPROACHABLE person? I didn't see that in the actor's portrayal in the end. He pretty much stayed the same throughout. I see where the direction and the story took us along that path. But I believe the actor missed in his portrayal. I guess that's my biggest issue with the movie.Nick Nolte, on the other hand, is fantastic as "Socrates". His "Mr. Miyagi"-themed character couldn't be better cast or acted by the veteran thespian. Grizzled, world-weary, and wise beyond his advanced years is perfectly woven into his character. Amy Smart is underused and fairly simplistic in the story. She's adorable, but the fact she knows about Socrates - who may or may not be real - and she is obviously part of the real world is a little confusing. For Amy's character to fall for such a self-absorbed Dan, even after he's explored warrior training, is kind of a stretch. She'd have to be smarter than that. And if she isn't, then she wouldn't have been part of Socrates' world. The rest of the cast is fairly vanilla and only there to extend the story.This movie has a great premise. It's really a college version of "Karate Kid". Although it must have been shot on a low-budget by all the dark lighting and painful rain machine goofs, and the obvious body-double on the rings, it is pretty enough to look at. Nick Nolte and Amy Smart make the story watchable but the main character's off-putting ego tarnishes the end result. I give it a 7 out of 10. It's worth watching for the message and for Nolte. Just don't expect Oscar performances by anyone not named Nick Nolte. I think I'd rather read the book this movie is based upon.