La forza del campione

I read the book back in the mid '80s and at that time there was much I did not understand fully,I may have thought I did however as the last 20 years have bloomed in my life I know that my views were clouded by what I thought I knew rather than the experiences and revelations which come to a life consciously lived.

That is what this movie is all about,breaking free from all the misconceptions we have and living in the moment,a moment that is rich with all the things we think are missing and in actuality are present in every heartbeat,so close and in our face that most of us miss it.

Its what Socrates calls being asleep while walking around living our lives and missing the fullness of life which surrounds us completely.

I saw this movie then re-read the book and while I would recommend the book over the Movie,if you go into the theater with a mind willing to see something new about yourself,as opposed to being a critic,then it is possible to come away with a new prospective about your place in this world.

Of course letting go of what we call mind would be even better.

If anyone has ever read "The Art Of War" by Sun Tzu then you know what the Peaceful Warrior concept is all about. The greatest warrior of all is one who has resolved the battle within oneself.

That is what this Movie is showing us and in my view the human race would be far better if all did this work.

Very few movies actually leave you with something to consider about how we run our lives in the way this one does and if you are willing to be open to these lessons,then you will get far more than the price of admission.

This one is worth 10 stars,for what it shows us about ourselves.

I saw this movie at a screening,(ironically at UCLA) and I really liked it. The only part I didn't like about it was the odd editing they did to make UCLA look like Cal. Of course, I'm a Bruin, so maybe I could tell the differences more.

The movie itself was sad, but at the same time, inspiring. One of the best parts of this movie is the student-teacher relationship between Dan and Socrates, his mentor. This movie hits home because it almost portrays the classic American Dream and the many people who chase it. Dan Milliman, the main character, is living the good life: he's one of the best athletes on the team, popular with the girls, still gets excellent grades. In all, his life is perfect. Yet, in a strange way, he's not entirely satisfied with his life, and you can see that the way he is living isn't good for his well-being. When he meets his mentor, he goes through an entire mental cleansing that is portrayed with humor and poignancy.

In the end, the point of this movie is not whether he reaches his goal or not, but the process of going there, and thats what makes this movie worthwhile.

I read this book when I was 19 and it actually changed my life. (I even became a Vegetarian. LONG before it became popular in the Midwest.) This movie was just OK. I'm glad I did not have to pay to see it. I took my Wife with me to see it and she, having not read the book, was confused as to how this story could have had such a profound effect on me. The movie is like a rather poor cliff-notes version of the book. The acting is a bit wooden and you never get to know the main character enough to care much about him. There are some significant changes to the plot from the book to the movie. These are major changes that reduce the importance and context of the lessons and reduce this to a "Karate-Kid" (as some other reviewers noticed) without a good script or decent action sequences and only so-so acting. Frankly, Sting would have been a better choice for the casting of Socrates.

My advice would be to read the book and skip the movie unless you "REALLY" like one of the actors in it and will see anything they make just because.

I really liked this movie. Gives a good feeling after watching it. I'm going to see it again with a couple of friends. Nick Nolte is one of my favorite actors and he does a great job here. I read the book by Dan Millman and I found it to be very uplifting. The other actors were pretty good, and the story moves along really well. I went to the Peaceful Warrior website which was pretty cool too. I think everyone ought to go see the movie. It's important to watch movies like this if you've every had difficult times in your life and have struggled a lot. It gives you a different perspective on things. I think the screenplay was very well written also.

The film can be corny/stereotypical and simplistic at times, but it's highly relatable if you are a young man at the cusp of becoming an adult, and realising your are lost and in despair about your life. Especially if you come from the typical boisterous & proud type A personality that thought everything was possible in your 20s, and then start realising that your life has broken down. In other words, real life hits the arrogant and prideful jock and star.

It's a highly relatable film but also difficult to watch if you are experiencing these troubles. Life is no joke and has some brutal truths.