Watch “I Am” Movie
AM, a prismatic and probing exploration of our world, what’s wrong with it, and what we can do to make it better, represents Tom Shadyac’s first foray into non-fiction following a career as one of Hollywood’s leading comedy practitioners, with such successful titles as “Ace Ventura,” “Liar Liar,” and “Bruce Almighty” to his credit. I AM recounts what happened to the filmmaker after a cycling accident left him incapacitated, possibly for good. Though he ultimately recovered, he emerged a changed man. Disillusioned with life on the A-list, he sold his house, moved to a mobile home community, and decided to start life anew.
“I Am” is an Oprah-endorsed mashup of thought-provoking ideas and metaphysical mumbo jumbo that is about how every living thing is “connected.”
The Oprah endorsement explains how a movie with no “names” attached, thin distribution and no marketing cash still drew 50 people in a Winter Park Village matinee on Friday, where I caught it. I’ll bet the “Atlas Shrugged” folks are kicking themselves for not considering a trip to Ms. Winfrey’s inviting couch. But then, Oprah’s all about altruism, Ayn Rand wasn’t.