Theatrical Review of Peaceful Warrior

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"Peaceful Warrior," the latest sports film inspired by true events, works as well as it does primarily because of its lead actor, Scott Mechlowicz. As a member of Cal´s male gymnastics team, Dan Milman (Mechlowicz) drinks whenever he wants, sleeps with whomever he wants…and dreams of winning a gold medal at the Olympics. During a late night run, he meets a New Age-y service station owner he affectionately nicknames Socrates (Nick Nolte). Soon afterward, Dan´s fast life catches up with him in the form of a motorcycle accident, which breaks his right leg in at least 17 different places. Told he will never perform on the rings again, Socrates takes it upon himself to tech Dan about the world and its various lessons.

Stop me if you know how this story is going to end. To paraphrase one of the lessons in the film, it´s not about the destination, but about the journey…so you won´t mind if I tell you right now Dan makes a complete recovery and ends up competing to be on the Olympic squad. To be completely blunt, this is "The Karate Kid" for a new generation. Instead of Mr. Miyagi teaching Daniel to "wax on, wax off," Socrates makes this Dan sit on a beat up Plymouth all night until he comes up with a truly deep thought. Instead of practicing the crane move on a log on the beach, Dan is told to keep a crouching position, hands in front of him, on top of a table for five minutes.

The first time we see Dan weaving in and out of California traffic on his motorcycle, we know an accident is a foregone conclusion. When Dan takes to the pommel horse for the first time and wow´s everyone in attendance, there´s no surprise. Late in the film, when the crutches and cane gradually disappear, Dan walking with hardly a limp doesn´t make much of an impact. Because this is the way these movies are supposed to work themselves out. The good guy-our hero-recovers/finds the will/perseveres. Think back to "Remember the Titans." When did that team truly become great? When they all learned to work together instead of sniping at each other because of the color of their skin.

There isn´t as easy a lesson in "Peaceful Warrior" as in that film. However, Dan gets what he wants, in the end, when he decides to live for today-the moment-instead of in fear of tomorrow. In an ambiguous, overly simplified way, Dan fights the careless version of himself on a clock tower. Really, the entire movie-from Nolte´s New Age nuggets of wisdom to the healing power of touch-is just as nebulous and reaching as this scene. There´s lots of talk about fear and ego, journeys and destinations…basically, the hokum every self-help book entails. (It´s no wonder, too, since this movie is based on a book by the real Dan. He is also a writer of self-help books.)

And this is where "Peaceful Warrior" loses itself. It is intent on wrapping the audience in the "advice" that it can´t bother to wrap up one of its central storylines: who, exactly, is Socrates? Is there a clue early in the film (do we, like Dan, need everything explained to us?) the audience passes over? In the end, it probably doesn´t matter who the man that leaps a gas station in a single bound turns out to be. Dan seems content not to know. Is Socrates a figment of Dan´s imagination? No, because it would open the question of who dumped him over the side of a bridge? Is Socrates, for lack of a better word, an angel or prophet sent to Dan to help him in his hour of need?

Director Victor Salva ("Powder," "Jeepers Creepers") intentionally leaves the religious door open because, without it, "Peaceful Warrior" would have zero appeal. The sports story doesn´t revolve around a typically masculine competition. Be completely honest: when gymnastics pops into your head, what comes to mind? Most likely not the hardest individual male sporting event in the world. There is no built-in gymnastics fan base for "Peaceful Warrior" to latch on to. Similarly, there are no explosions or gunshots to lure in the young male crowd. The only demographic left would be the religious contingent…and they most likely will stay away from this film only because of the director.

So what is there to recommend? A little bit, if you know where to look. Mechlowicz turns in a fine performance as Dan in spite of (or maybe because of) the physical demands placed on the actor. Even if he didn´t perform all his stunts in the film, he still had to have the look of a world-class gymnast. Besides his look, Mechlowicz allows us to feel his anger, his resentment, his bewilderment, using mostly his eyes.

Easily the most heartbreaking scene occurs late, when it is revealed Coach Garrick (Tim DeKay) had the final say in sidelining Dan. The two men stand nose to nose and all Dan can do is repeat "You gave up on me" over and over while tears make their way down his face. That moment is more emotionally resonant to the audience than to Garrick because we have seen Dan´s struggle to regain the use of his legs. Garrick, ultimately, isn´t worried about Dan, but about himself. He says he can´t bear watching Dan cheat death one more time. Notice the problem is Garrick´s emotions, not Dan´s life. Sure, Dan might get permanently paralyzed and have to live in a wheelchair, but coach doesn´t want to be on the emotional hook for the act.

Nolte goes 180 degrees away from the police mug shot we all remember from a few years ago with neatly trimmed hair and a voice which never rises too high or falls too low. Even while being held up in an alley with Dan, he is the epitome of calm, gladly handing over all his-and Dan´s-belongings. The problem is I never truly believed Socrates is some kind of New Age zen master, only someone who read one too many fortune cookies. "Everything has a purpose, even this, and it's up to you to find it." "A warrior does not give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does." And countless others I won´t bother repeating here. They are mere platitudes meant to sugarcoat the real lesson: stop being a jackass and grow up. Take responsibility for your life and enjoy it because it will be gone too quickly.

The performance from Mechlowicz is the only reason to seek out "Peaceful Warrior." The nuggets of wisdom come too heavy handed while the outcome of the film is never in doubt. This is a sports movie in the worst way, hitting all the notes we´ve come to expect from productions of the genre without offering anything new. If "Peaceful Warrior" wanted to be a full-fledged religious film, it should have been up front about it and been a religious film. The combination of sports and spirituality, while not an unwelcome combination, feels like a scattershot approach to filmmaking: throw everything on the screen and see what sticks. That´s not how great movies are born.

"Peaceful Warrior," which opened on a small number of theaters last year, is back in another limited release this year no doubt to cash in on the upcoming Easter holiday. As a film, it runs middle of the road, a 5 out of 10. If you can plug your ears for Nolte´s dialogue, but open them back up for Mechlowicz, "Peaceful Warrior" may be a good film. As is, it won´t make anyone happy: the sports nuts will be bored; the spiritual folks won´t be happy with the lack of more obvious religious imagery; and the New Age contingent will already know the "advice" being thrown at them.

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