Based on a Book

During his junior year at the University of California, Dan Millman first stumbled upon his mentor (nicknamed Socrates) at an all-night gas station. At the time, Millman hoped to become a world-champion gymnast. "To survive the lessons ahead, you're going... Read More

During his junior year at the University of California, Dan Millman first stumbled upon his mentor (nicknamed Socrates) at an all-night gas station. At the time, Millman hoped to become a world-champion gymnast. "To survive the lessons ahead, you're going to need far more energy than ever before," Socrates warned him that night. "You must cleanse your body of tension, free your mind of stagnant knowledge, and open your heart to the energy of true emotion." From there, the unpredictable Socrates proceeded to teach Millman the "way of the peaceful warrior." At first Socrates shattered every preconceived notion that Millman had about academics, athletics, and achievement. But eventually Millman stopped resisting the lessons, and began to try on a whole new ideology--one that valued being conscious over being smart, and strength in spirit over strength in body. Although the character of the cigarette-smoking Socrates seems like a fictional, modern-day Merlin, Millman asserts that he is based on an actual person. Certain male readers especially appreciate the coming-of-age theme, the haunting love story with the elusive woman Joy, and the challenging of Western beliefs about masculine power and success. --Gail Hudson

Rising gymnast Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz, EuroTrip) has everything a college male could want: physical prowess, good grades, a chance at Olympic gold, and a parade of attractive girls eager to sleep with him. So why is his sleep troubled by violent dr... Read More

Rising gymnast Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz, EuroTrip) has everything a college male could want: physical prowess, good grades, a chance at Olympic gold, and a parade of attractive girls eager to sleep with him. So why is his sleep troubled by violent dreams? While wandering late at night, he meets a mysterious man (Nick Nolte, Affliction) working at a service station, who sends Dan on a quest for his inner self--a quest that becomes crucial when Dan has a motorcycle accident and shatters one of his legs. Under the tutelage of "Socrates" (as Dan dubs the mysterious man), Dan finds a new strength both spiritual and physical. Peaceful Warrior is packed with philosophical aphorisms, ranging from "Knowledge is not wisdom" to "Take out the trash!", which some viewers will find energizing and others will find trite. What's most questionable about Peaceful Warrior is not whether or not you find its philosophy meaningful; it's that a movie supposedly about giving up control and living in the moment is--from plot structure to soundtrack--formulaic and manipulative. Based on the popular book Way of the Peaceful Warrior; also featuring Amy Smart (The Butterfly Effect). --Bret Fetzer