Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
I AM is an utterly engaging and entertaining non-fiction film that poses two practical and provocative questions: what’s wrong with our world, and what can we do to make it better? The filmmaker behind the inquiry is Tom Shadyac, one of Hollywood’s leading comedy practitioners and the creative force behind such blockbusters as “Ace Ventura,” “Liar Liar,” “The Nutty Professor,” and “Bruce Almighty.” However, in I AM, Shadyac steps in front of the camera to recount what happened to him after a cycling accident left him incapacitated, possibly for good. Though he ultimately recovered, he emerged with a new sense of purpose, determined to share his own awakening to his prior life of excess and greed, and to investigate how he as an individual, and we as a race, could improve the way we live and walk in the world.
I Am is a sincere and accessible personal documentary from Tom Shadyac, whose Hollywood credentials give the film an unusual angle — a comedic blockbuster director undergoing a spiritual and philosophical awakening. The narrative structure is straightforward, following Shadyac as he interviews scientists, philosophers, and thinkers about cooperation, interconnectedness, and human nature. While earnest and watchable, the film leans on feel-good platitudes and is noted for scientifically questionable claims (e.g., yogurt responding to emotions), undermining its intellectual credibility. Cinematography is functional but unremarkable for the documentary format. The novelty comes from Shadyac's personal journey framing, which is somewhat distinctive, though the themes themselves (materialism vs. community, human spirit) are well-trodden documentary territory. The ending wraps up neatly but without particular resonance or challenge, consistent with its inspirational but lightweight overall tone.