I saw four movies in August for a total of 41 so far this year. I didn’t see anything especially “deep” or meaningful, but I did have fun.
Here is my August 2025 Film Roundup!
***WARNING: Some of these reviews contain spoilers***
Happy Gilmore 2 was described in one review I read as a “90-minute Super Bowl commercial” and I couldn’t agree more and it was just as fun as those commercials. This movie is more of a review of the first Happy Gilmore with many of the same characters and jokes and even clips from the original film. It was like, “hey remember when we did this and it was funny? Well, here it is again.” And then you laugh again. The best part of this movie was Christopher McDonald reprising his role as Shooter McGavin.
The language in Wicked Little Letters is foul but the movie is funny. But don’t make the mistake of thinking it is a simple comedy. There are many parts that feel sad and even tragic. I love Olivia Colman and she is wonderful in this, like she is in everything. The film plays with your emotions and your assumptions. That’s what I liked about it. The film challenges the way you see others and the assumptions you make about who they are and what they are or are not capable of and then ever so subtly, turns it all around on you. There is a powerful message in it but it’s not heavy handed.
I do not get the ire against Thunderbolts. I liked it. I know Marvel hasn’t exactly been hitting it out of the park lately, but this movie was fun and entertaining and isn’t that what you really want in a superhero movie? I watched it twice, once by myself and once with my son and it held up on the second viewing. And, despite the fluff that most superhero films are, this one carried a powerful message with it. You can’t make it on your own. We need each other. Isolation does not make you strong, it only takes you deeper into darkness. Oh, and not for nothing, David Harbour as Red Guardian is HILARIOUS.
I also watched the new Superman movie and LOVED it. I was thrilled when I heard James Gunn was taking over at DC and he does not disappoint folks. Superman is everything I wanted it to be. The Last Son of Krypton has always been my favorite Superhero and it was great to see him returned to his roots of being a good man trying to be and live as a good man in a dark world.
Okay, for Superman enthusiasts, you know this vision of Superman comes from the Silver Age of comics. The original Golden Age Superman was a bit different and had no problem doing some morally questionable things. But the Superman most of us know and love is exactly what Gunn has given us. I have a feeling we are going to see some great stuff coming out of DC with Gunn in the Captain’s chair.
Films Christians Should Watch
I’ve been slack in my efforts on this regular feature on the blog and hope to get back to it this month. So, (hopefully) I will review the following films in September for “Films Christians Should Watch”:
Pan’s Labyrinth
Cry, The Beloved Country
JoJo Rabbit
Also on My Watchlist
Some other films I would like to watch in September include…
I finished 5 books in August for a total of 45 so far this year.
There was some good stuff in this stack and I am excited to share them with you in the August Reading Roundup.
I’ll start with the one that was a bit of a disappointment. A Powerful Mind : The Self-Education of George Washington by Adrienne M. Harrison read like a dumbed-down doctoral dissertation. I am fascinated with self-education in general and self-education through books in particular.
That’s what I was expecting in this book. What I got was a list of the books in Washington’s library and the same stories I’ve read in multiple Washington biographies. There was a nice chapter about the first President’s reading habits and their utilitarian nature but I probably should have stopped reading after that. I’m not suggesting that no one should read this book. It’s well-written and thoroughly researched. It just wasn’t for me.
The Last Class: Your Guide to 401(k) Plans, Health Insurance, Taxes, and More! was written by an online buddy of mine, Karen Nicholas and…Wow. I truly wish this book had existed when I started my career. This is the stuff we all should have been taught in high school before we got out into the “real world.”
Writing with humor and kindness, Karen Nicholas gives you the information you need to navigate some of the complexities of life. Whether it’s working with different generations, managing your credit, understanding your health plans, or the skills you need to thrive on the job, This slim volume has the information you need. I HIGHLY recommend this as a gift to every graduate you know. If you are a homeschool parent, make this part of your students’ curriculum.
I read Daily Doctrine by Kevin DeYoung over the course of several months. Its designed to be read as a five day a week devotional. I like DeYoung’s writing and agree with much of his theology. There were several points where I completely disagree with him and Sam Storms writes quite thoroughly and eloquently on his points of disagreement, which I share so I will simply direct you to his blogif you’d like to know more about that.
That being said, this book is an excellent systematic theology in bite-sized chunks and written in such a way that you don’t need a graduate degree in the subject to understand it. DeYoung writes with the mind of a theologian and the heart of a pastor. His love for God and His people comes through in page after page.
I had never heard of William Kent Krueger before I joined a book club recently but This Tender Land was their selection for August so I grabbed it and read it to prepare for my first meeting/discussion. I can honestly say that if it were not for the book club, I never would have read it and I am so glad I did because it’s just good.
Krueger wrestles with God in this book. And while I find sadness in where he ends up in his wrestling, I respect his efforts. The characters in this story are vivid and fully realized, even those that are in and out in just a few pages. The setting is delightfully descriptive without being tiresome. The story is engaging with moments of tension, terror, wonder, and joy. It’s just a good read and it left me wanting to read more by this writer.
The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis by Karen Swallow Prior is the best book I read in August. It was also the most challenging and thought-provoking one.
The author masterfully builds a case piece by piece that reveals how much of the Evangelical faith we take at face value without considering where some of our most closely held beliefs come from and without realizing how many of these beliefs are built, not from Scripture, but from a shared social imaginary. This imaginary is comprised of the stories we tell, the images we absorb, and the metaphors we use to describe and understand our world.
Swallow Prior picks up a magnified mirror, holds it up to Evangelicalism, and says, “Look closely right here.” And when we do, we might find ourselves shocked, even a bit horrified, but if we are paying attention, we won’t be offended. The author is not holding up her mirror with an attitude of disgust or judgment, but with a heart of love and all she’s asking us to do is think.
Stop taking everything at face value. Stop absorbing sound bites and spitting them in the faces of others. Instead, ask questions, pray, discuss, and just think.
I found as I read the book that I was asking many questions about my own beliefs and their origins and in those questions, I was drawn to a deeper faith in Christ.
I watched 4 films in July, which brings me to a total of 37 so far this year. Two of the ones I watched I wrote about in my series Films Christians Should Watch. The other two were new to me.
I shed tears every time I watch Sense and Sensibility. It’s beautifully shot and masterfully performed and there are scenes of such incredible depth and power you cannot help but be moved by it all.
I am always impressed by the opening scenes. Thompson, who not only stared in the movie, but also wrote the screenplay, does a wonderful job of showing us the true nature of every character within seconds of their first appearance on the screen. It is a master class in writing.
The characters produce such strong feelings as you watch their actions and interactions. Fear, anger, disgust, love, pity, and contempt are all experienced. I love it when that happens and I think it’s important when that happens to ask ourselves why we are experiencing those feelings. The actors’ performances and the writing and directing and everything that goes into crafting the scene speaks to us on a deep level. It touches something in our souls and that is worthy of consideration.
To me, this movie is about love and suffering and how often those two coincide.
It is interesting to me that in Hector and the Search for Happiness he never once seeks God. It is assumed that happiness can only be found within yourself and in how you manage the circumstances of your life and indeed that is the ultimate conclusion and in that sense, it is an unsatisfying one for any Christian watching this movie.
Hector’s search for happiness leads him to encounter many kinds of people from all walks of life, each of whom are on the same search and have different ways of trying to find it. That may be money and comfort or family and friends or service to others. Some of them are truly happy and some of them only pretend to be. But in the end, one cannot help but think like “the Preacher”, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
There are some funny moments in this film and some beautiful ones. It will definitely make you question your own search for happiness and where it might be found and that is good. But, as a Christian, it should also help you to think more deeply about your walk with Christ and where true JOY is found because happiness is a poor substitute for joy.
I am a sucker for a good gangster film and The Alto Knights is not too shabby. It’s got DeNiro in two roles, so come on, you know it’s going to be pretty good. In fact, he does such a great job playing two different men, you sometimes forget it’s the same actor.
It’s based on the true story of the battle between notorious New York crime bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese in the 1950’s. Once they were best friends but petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on an unavoidable path to war as they battle for control of organized crime in New York City.
I didn’t know the story behind the film, so I found the ending a surprise and, honestly, funny. It’s not a great gangster movie, but it is a good one if you go in for that sort of thing.
You can emphasize the FREAKY in Freaky Tales. I had no clue what this was about.
My wife and I turned it on because we just wanted something entertaining, that wouldn’t require too much from us, and we like Tom Hanks (who’s barely in it) and Pedro Pascal. What we got was something mildly entertaining and weird.
It kind of reminded me of a Quentin Tarantino movie only not as good.
It takes place in Oakland, CA in 1987 and you’ve got green space dust that gives people weird powers, Nazis, crooked cops, a local criminal trying to go straight, a couple of up-and-coming female rappers, and a ninja basketball player.
Yeah, freaky.
On the Watchlist
Here are the films I will review for August’s series on Films Christians Should Watch.
Pan’s Labyrinth
Hugo
JoJo Rabbit
Babette’s Feast
Here are the other films on my watchlist that I hope to see for the first time.
I only finished 5 books in July for a total of 40 so far this year. But there were some EXCELLENT ones in this stack and I am excited to share them with you in this month’s Reading Roundup!
I am a big fan of John Steinbeck and have a goal to read his complete works. I devoured The Moon is Down in a single day and I loved it. Steinbeck describes this slim novel as a “celebration of the durability of democracy”. It was originally published when Nazi Germany was at the height of its power and it looked as if Hitler may not be stopped by anyone.
In this novel, a small community is invaded by a larger, more powerful force and comes face-to-face with evil imposed on them and it wears a smile and claims it only wants to coexist. The mayor, as the spokesperson for the town, claims he does not know how his people will respond to the invaders. Their response is a slow burn at first, but the unjust death of one of their own fans their anger into a bonfire that cannot be contained.
This book reads like a play and I was delighted to discover that it was originally written as one until Steinbeck converted it into a novel. I would love to see this play staged. Certainly it was relevant in its time, and I think it has relevance even now. I also discovered that it became a movie in 1943. I added that to my watchlist.
How amazing is Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove?! It seems to be popping up in all the “influencers” feeds on social media and is enjoying a bit of resurgence in popularity, but come on, when has this not been a famous and continuously read epic?
After reading this book, I had to set it aside for a moment and mourn the loss of a group of characters I had fallen in love with over the course of 858 pages. I was sad that my journey with them was over. And what a journey it was!
I absolutely love Western novels and the history of the American West and read both frequently. But this one is not only my favorite Western, it is one of my top 5 favorite novels. The rich characters, the converging plotlines, the high stakes, the adventure, the sheer scope of the novel is just incredible. I read Sin Killer by McMurtry and hated it, but this, I loved and will return to again. In fact, I could see this becoming a sort of continual read for me, much like The Lord of the Rings series.
Ancient Wisdom for the Care of Souls by Coleman M. Ford and Shawn J. Wilhite is rich and beautiful. In a time when many pastors are feeling pressured to entertain and “tickle the ears” of those in their churches to keep attendance and financial numbers up, this book serves as a quiet reminder that pastors are the shepherds of souls.
Using the writings and lives of the Early Church Fathers, the authors call pastors today to holy, spiritual, skilled, and Christ-centered ministries. It is a call to walk with people through the joys and trials of their lives, always pointing to Jesus, the Good Shepherd. I found this book both convicting (in the best sense) and comforting.
Speaking of pastors, A Burning in My Bones by Winn Collier is about Eugene Peterson, who always saw himself as exactly that, a pastor. At first, I thought this was going to be like many Christian biographies, loaded with hero worship. I was wrong. Collier does not shy away from Peterson’s foibles and weaknesses and failures at all. He clearly loved and admired his subject, but also understood that he was a sinful person, just like the rest of us.
It is Peterson’s lifelong quest to love and honor God and to serve God’s people that is so inspiring. Yes, he was the translator of The Message. Yes he wrote numerous best-selling books. Yes, there was controversy toward the end of his life (something the author handles honestly and honorably). But through it all, this book is a gripping story about a man who loved Jesus.
I liked Dan B Allender’s book Sabbath very much. The Healing Path I did not like near as much. In fact, there were times I found it tedious and melodramatic. For Allender, it seems like every disappointment in his life becomes soul crushing. There were times when I felt contempt for his weakness. But I came to realize that my contempt says more about me than it does the author. And it doesn’t say good things about me.
If I’m honest, there are things that feel soul crushing to me that others would laugh at me for taking so seriously. And, there are things that break us all like betrayal and abuse and loss and pain. They hurt us no matter who we are and Allender is pointing to a path of healing from those things and it takes us to Jesus, of course.
So while I struggled with this book, I’m glad I did. It was worth reading and it was helpful in pointing the way for some healing I still need.
Currently Reading
Here are a few books I am reading now.
To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink is one I am reading for work.
The Evangelical Imagination by Karen Swallow Prior is coming along bit by bit because it is rich and heavy stuff.
Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde is fun and funny.
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger is for a book club I recently joined.
Is love a fancy, or a feeling? No. It is immortal as immaculate Truth... - Hartley Coleridge
Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant star in this captivating romantic story based on Jane Austen’s classic novel, Sense and Sensibility. It tells of the Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor (Thompson) and passionate Marianne (Winslet), whose chances at marriage in a society where women are not allowed to earn their own living seem doomed by their family’s sudden loss of fortune.
***WARNING! This review contains spoilers.***
I shed tears every time I watch this film. It’s beautifully shot and masterfully performed and there are scenes of such incredible depth and power you cannot help but be moved by it all.
I am always impressed by the opening scenes. Thompson, who not only stared in the movie, but also wrote the screenplay, does a wonderful job of showing us the true nature of every character within seconds of their first appearance on the screen. It is a master class in writing.
The characters produce such strong feelings as you watch their actions and interactions. Fear, anger, disgust, love, pity, and contempt are all experienced. I love it when that happens and I think it’s important when that happens to ask ourselves why we are experiencing those feelings. The actors’ performances and the writing and directing and everything that goes into crafting the scene speaks to us on a deep level. It touches something in our souls and that is worthy of consideration.
To me, this movie is about love and suffering and how often those two coincide. And it begins with the very first scene as the rich Mister Dashwood lays dying in his bed, worrying about his second wife and daughters, making his son promise to help them. His love for them fills him with fear for their future and compels him to try and secure it through his son, who is too easily manipulated by his greedy wife, Fanny.
There is too much going on in this movie to do any kind of a “scene-by-scene” review, but there are some highlights that always stand out to me and that carry the strongest messages.
Highlight 1
When Fanny’s brother, Edward (Hugh Grant) visits the estate he is the exact opposite of his awful sister. He is kind and funny and gentle. This is one of those brilliant scenes I mentioned that tells you everything you need to know about a character in just moments.
Fanny has asked that the youngest Dashwood girl, Margaret, give up her room for her brother Edward during his visit because her views overlook the lake. When Edward arrives, Marianne, in a not-so-subtle jab asks Edward how he likes his view.
Edward says he likes it very much and then comments to Mrs. Dashwood that her stables are beautiful and handsomely kept. When Fanny is surprised and says that his room overlooks the lake. Edward replies, “An oversight, Fanny. I was mistakenly led to one of the family rooms. But you will be gratified to know that I have corrected the situation and am now happily installed in the guest quarters.”
Kindness and honor. And it is immediately evident in the choices he made. A choice, I would add, that he had no intention of even mentioning had he not been directly asked. Edward’s is a quiet dignity.
Highlight 2
The Dashwood’s are forced to move to the country where they take up residence in a cottage owned by a cousin, Sir John Middleton (delightfully played by Robert Hardy). It is in the country that they meet Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman).
For me, Brandon is a Cinematic Saint. He is a character that displays so many beautiful characteristics of Christlikeness. He is immediately taken with Marianne, who has no interest in him because he seems to old and reserved.
Brandon continually moves toward Marianne with love but without agenda or demands. He loves in the face of her rejection, her contempt, and her rudeness.
Marianne has no interest in the good man. She is looking for someone who matches her passion, which she assumes the Colonel does not have because he keeps his emotions in check so, as she does with her sister Elinor, Marianne assumes Brandon’s emotions to be shallow.
On a walk through the countryside, Marianne is caught in a rainstorm and twists her ankle. A dashing young man, John Willoughby (Greg Wise) comes to her rescue and appears to Marianne like one of the great heroes from the romantic stories and poetry she devours. Willoughby carries her back to the cottage and promises to visit her.
Willoughby is everything Marianne wants and nothing that she truly needs. As their romance develops, he exposes Marianne to rumor in the small village with the liberties he takes with her and acts as a bad influence on her. He consumes her affection and attention, while giving nothing in return. He makes no commitments, no true expressions of love, but always leaves it assumed.
Colonel Brandon watches the romance with deep pain and yet wants Marianne to be happy believing that she is completely innocent and that any rumors that may be flying about are untrue.
Highlight 3
Marianne is eventually rejected by Willoughby because it is discovered that he has impregnated a woman and then left her alone to deal with the pregnancy. He was cut off by his rich relatives when they found out, and therefore had to find a rich woman to marry. That would not be Marianne.
The woman happens to be the daughter of a woman Brandon loved as younger man, but whom he was torn away from because the woman was poor and Brandon was forbidden to marry her. Brandon discovers what Willoughby has done, but does not mention it at all until AFTER Marianne is rejected and left heart broken.
He then tells Elinor the news in the sincere hope that it will ease Marianne’s suffering. He also tells Elinor that he believed Willoughby did love Marianne but could not marry her because of his financial situation.
When Elinor tells Marianne she assures her that Willoughby did in fact love her. Marianne says, “But not enough.” Her romantic notions of passionate love are dashed.
Highlight 4
Brandon also offers Edward, again through Elinor, a parish at his estate. Edward had a secret engagement and when his mother finds out, she cuts him off without a penny.
When Edward finds out about the offer, he is astonished that Brandon, a man he doesn’t know, would do something like that for him. He says that Brandon “must be a man of great worth and respectability.” But this description does not do the the Colonel justice so Elinor replies, “He is the kindest and best of men.”
What a powerful comparison. The world sees Brandon as rich and respectable. Those who know him, see him as kind and good.
Highlight 5
Later, when Marianne becomes horribly ill and nearly dies, it is the Colonel who comes to her rescue. Instead of carrying her back like a dashing hero, he carries her and falls to his knees with her in his arms. His strength is spent for the one he loves.
As Marianne suffers in her illness, Brandon suffers outside her room, pacing and grieving. When he asks Elinor what he can do to help, she at first tells him there is nothing to be done. He says, “Give me an occupation or I shall run mad.” When she tells him that Marianne would rest easier if her mother were with her. Brandon is ignited with a sense of purpose and leaves at once to bring Mrs. Dashwood to her daughter.
Highlight 6
In the end, there is joy.
Those who have suffered leave their suffering and enter a season of joy in their lives and that joy is shared with others. There is a beautiful scene when Brandon is reading to Marianne as she recovers from her illness and she does not want him to leave her.
There is another beautiful scene when Edward is finally free to confess his love for Elinor and ask her to marry him and she is freed to confess her love for him.
It is only Willoughby, the one who was interested in only himself, the one who gave into every indulgence, who avoided all sacrifice, who was unwilling to suffer, who would cause the suffering of others if it meant shielding himself from it, only him who ends up alone and without love.
Why I Recommend It
There is so much to enjoy in this film and to think about. As I mentioned, it inspires some powerful emotions and those are worth exploring. But it is also just a truly excellent movie and it can be enjoyed as a work of art.
The messages in this film are powerful and varied, but there are the constant themes of love, sacrifice, suffering, dignity, and honor that will cause you to question how you love the people in your life.
There is a call to selflessness and kindness in this film. There is a call to sacrifice your own comfort for the sake of others.
In short, this film inspires us to be our best selves in the way we connect and relate to others. It inspires us to love without agenda and without selfishness and even in the face of rejection and suffering. It calls us to love even when the object of our love may never know or return it.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
What is good, true, and beautiful in this film?
As Christians, what can we Receive in this film? What can be Redeemed? What must we Reject?
Read 1 Corinthians 13. What examples of this kind of love do you see in this film?
How do suffering and love often go hand-in-hand?
What emotions does this film stir in you? What do you think those feelings are telling you?
What inspires you in this film? What calls to you? How will you respond?
Where do you see echoes and shadows of God’s love for us in this film?
As an everyday example of how this Enlightenment-era machine metaphor persists comes from a friend who has a daughter with Down syndrome. My friend heard someone observe that a classmate was ‘low-functioning’ in comparison to my friend’s child. This well-intentioned comment made my friend realize that talking about any person’s abilities in terms of ‘functions’ is dehumanizing because it serves to ‘compare them to a machine.’ When we use language such as ‘functioning’ to describe human beings, my friend wrote, ‘we play into the dehumanizing rhetoric of modernity.’ We treaty ourselves as Abraham Joshua Heschel writes, as if we were ‘created in the likeness of a machine rather than in likeness of God.’ – Karen Swallow Prior, The Evangelical Imagination
My professional career is in Training and Development, which is a part of Human Resources, a term I have never liked. There was a time when HR was called Personnel. I had a colleague who had the habit of referring to his employees as “resources.” As in, “we have ten resources at that account.” To which I usually replied with something like, “You mean human beings, right?” This usually elicited an eye roll from my colleague, but I was serious.
We see this dehumanizing language everywhere…
That’s just the way I’m wired.
I need to reboot.
That does not compute.
We’re working like a well-oiled machine.
I need to let off some steam.
I need some time to process that.
As I thought about this a while, I realized that I don’t have language to replace it with. This kind of dehumanizing language that diminishes the dignity of being made in the image of loving Creator has become such a part of the way I think and speak, that I don’t know what to say instead.
I’ll admit that changing the way we speak is a challenge and may even make us look a little weird. But hey, if we’re Christians, we’re weird already so why not really lean into it?
Of course, instead of referring to people that work for us as “resources” we can simply say, “employees” or, what I like to use is, “team members” or “colleagues”.
Perhaps, the way we speak about ourselves and others will change based on the way we see and think of ourselves and others.
Disillusioned and depressed with the tedium of his existence, psychiatrist Hector (Simon Pegg) spends his days dispensing advice to patients who never seem to get any happier. He feels like a luxury item for the wealthy who should be happy but aren’t and he feels like a fraud because he’s telling people how to be happy when he isn’t happy himself. He tells his girlfriend (Rosamund Pike) that he needs to get away and research what makes people happy. He embarks on an adventure in search for happiness and as the viewers, we get to go along with him. But does he discover the magic formula that makes people happy?
***WARNING: This review contains spoilers!***
This film opens with a strange dream. Hector is flying in an open cockpit plane with a dog in the seat behind him. As he loops the plane, the dog falls out and Hector doesn’t realize it at first. The dog, which will appear throughout the film along with Hector’s younger self, is symbolic of something Hector lost and cannot seem to recover. A loss than needs to be healed, though he does not know how to heal it.
When he awakes from his nightmare, it’s his girlfriend, Clara who is waking him to start his day. She’s more like a mother than a lover, really. She manages his clothes, she makes his breakfast, she packs his lunch, and you get the impression that she enjoys the ritual and that Hector takes it for granted.
Hector is a wealthy psychiatrist who half-listens to people complain all day about banal problems. He has a sincere desire to help but he doesn’t know how to guide people to happiness. And that’s mostly because he is unhappy himself.
It’s clear from the images we see around his office, that Hector has always dreamed of adventure and travel but it’s also clear that these dreams went dormant sometime in his childhood.
One day, he finally snaps at one of his clients. And the interaction leads him to an impulsive decision to go on a journey in search of what makes people happy. He announces his intentions to Clara who is surprised and a little worried, but chooses to be fully supportive. The truth is, Clara is a lovely person and you get the idea that Hector really doesn’t deserve her. Eventually, Hector will come to realize that as well.
Hector begins his journey, which is really a pilgrimage, in China. On the plane he meets a business man, Edward (Stellan Skarsgard) and shares his quest to find what makes people happy. Edward scoffs at the idea and decides he wants to show Hector what real happiness is. For Edward, happiness is having the money to do whatever you want whenever you want, especially indulging in whatever pleasures you desire.
He puts Hector up in a lavish hotel, takes him out for a delicious meal, takes him on a limo ride to a fancy club and there Hector meets a beautiful woman named Ying (Ming Zhao). All the while, Hector is jotting down ideas about happiness in a journal given to him as a gift from Clara. When he meets Ying and she returns with him to his hotel room, he writes that maybe happiness is loving two women at the same time. As the viewer, we see again and again how immature Hector is. We admire his quest, but it is difficult to admire him sometimes.
WARNING: There is some mild nudity and sexual content in this film and this is one of the places where that occurs. Nothing physical takes place between Hector and Ying, but she is nude in this scene and you do see part of her body. The film is Rated R, mostly for foul language.
Hector and Ying agree to meet the next day for lunch. When they do, it is revealed that Ying is a prostitute hired by Edward for Hector. Hector feels tricked by Ying and interestingly, Ying feels tricked by Hector.
From the lights and sounds of the city, Hector visits a Buddhist monastery, which seems to be a dead end without any satisfying answers to what makes people happy.
He decides to go to Africa, where one of his oldest friends is serving as a doctor. Meanwhile, things with Clara are not great. Hector’s search for happiness has given her room to think now that she is not having to take care of his every need and she’s beginning to ask some questions about him and their relationship. We see Hector’s immaturity on display again as he gets angry with Clara because she is going out for the evening instead of staying on a Skype call with him.
In Africa, Hector reconnects with an old friend who is running a clinic for the poor of the area. He also encounters a drug dealer named Diego (Jean Reno), whom he helps by recommending better medication for his depressed wife. Later, after drinking too much at a party, he is passed out in a taxi that gets stolen by two men. When they realize he is in the car, they take him to their boss, a local drug lord who is prepared to kill him. Hector’s life is spared when he shows the drug lord the pen of Diego which he had used to write the prescription for his wife. After being liberated, he runs through the darkness feeling fully alive for the first time in many years.
From Africa, he travels to Los Angeles to reconnect with an old flame, Agnes (Toni Collette) who is now married with two children and one on the way. There is a powerful scene between them in which Agnes confronts Hector with his immaturity and how he lives in a world of fantasy. It is that constant pursuit to make his life conform with his fantasy that keep him unhappy.
Agnes puts Hector in contact with a Professor Coreman (Christopher Plummer) who is studying the science of happiness. Hector is connected to a machine that measures emotional responses and he is asked to think about something happy, something sad, and something scary. As Coreman views the screen displaying the centers of the brain that “light up” when triggered by Hector’s memories, he reveals to Agnes that the responses show that Hector does not have the emotional responses of a full-grown man. They are shallow. Something is blocking him.
Clara calls Hector while he is connected to the machine and their conversation is one that is heartfelt and raw and emotional and in that conversation, Hector is able to break the fear of loss that has kept him bound for so long. He is able to accept the reality of his life and see that there is happiness in it. He no longer needs or wants the fantasy. And in doing so, he experiences the full range of human emotion all at once, which is what life is really like after all.
Why I Recommend It
I recommend this film as much for what it lacks as what it contains.
It is interesting that in Hector’s search for happiness he never once seeks God. It is assumed that happiness can only be found within yourself and in how you manage the circumstances of your life and indeed that is the ultimate conclusion and in that sense, it is an unsatisfying one for any Christian watching this movie.
Hector’s search for happiness leads him to encounter many kinds of people from all walks of life, each of whom are on the same search and have different ways of trying to find it. That may be money and comfort or family and friends or service to others. Some of them are truly happy and some of them only pretend to be. But in the end, one cannot help but think like Solomon, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
There are some funny moments in this film and some beautiful ones. It will definitely make you question your own search for happiness and where it might be found and that is good. But, as a Christian, it should also help you to think more deeply about your walk with Christ and where true JOY is found because happiness is a poor substitute for joy.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
As Christians, what can we Receive from this film? What can we Redeem? What must we Reject?
What is good, true, and beautiful in this film?
What do you think is the underlying philosophy of this film? What conclusions do you think they are trying to “prove”?
How does the way this film defines happiness compare with what the Scripture says about happiness and joy?
How would you describe the difference between happiness and joy?
Where has your search for happiness taken you in your life?
I used to say…okay, if I’m being honest, I used to BRAG that I read 10 to 12 books at a time.
That’s not true.
I wasn’t lying. I was just fooling myself.
I genuinely believed that’s what I was doing. But I’ve come to realize that I am not in fact actively reading that many books at once. I am only actively reading 6 books at a time. Not counting the devotionals and systematic theology I read a page or two in daily.
And then, if I break it down even further, I am only reading 3 books actively AND consistently.
I generally have a sense of overwhelm when it comes to reading. I love reading and there is so much I WANT to read I stack up a huge TBR and fool myself into thinking I am getting all of those books read but I’m not. And then I feel overwhelmed by all the books I am “reading” and that I want to read.
The truth is, I will NEVER, not if I live a hundred more years, I will NEVER read everything I want to read. I’ve got to give up that fantasy and embrace my finitude.
I do believe I could read more if I read less, though.
Setting Priorities
If I commit to only three books at a time, and focus all of my reading on only one of those books each day, I think I could read more books in a month AND get more out of the ones I read.
That still doesn’t change the fact that I can’t read everything I would like to read. So how do I manage that?
Like with anything else in life, I have to prioritize.
He doesn’t suggest that we should all have the same priorities–although I think the first three at least should probably be on every Christian’s list and DEFINITELY the first one–he just suggests that having reading priorities helps us make intentional choices about what we read and why. This is important in a world crammed full of great books that we just don’t have time for and crammed full of lousy books we shouldn’t bother with and crammed full of all the stuff in between that is good writing, just not for us at this time or place in our lives.
My New Reading Priorities
Here is what I am thinking should be my list of reading priorities right now–and this may change.
Scripture. Okay, this one will NOT change. My current reading habits here are to read the entire Bible through in the first 90 days of the year in a different version each year. Then I read from the Psalms and the Gospels each day and do deep reading in two (or three) other books of the Bible. That includes slow reading, meditation, constant re-reading, and using commentaries. This year I read the New Living Translation (although it took me 5 months not 3) and my deep readings are in Ecclesiastes and 1 and 2 Peter.
Spiritual Formation. This encompasses Reinke’s “Reading to Know and Delight in Christ” and “Reading to Kindle Spiritual Reflection”. It will include theology, Biblical studies, Christian living, and the spiritual disciplines.
Vocational Excellence. This priority includes books on business, pastoral ministry, and writing.
Biography and History. Not only do I enjoy this kind of literature, I think it is important enough to be a priority. It also gives me some freedom to explore and read what interests me. Of course, this category will include the history of the church and biographies about men and women of the faith.
Fiction. This will mostly be novels and I am trying to focus on “good” novels and classics. But it will also include plays and poetry and short story collections and the occasional genre fiction because those can be tasty and fun.
I think these simple priorities will help me focus and will still give me the freedom to pursue my interests and make sure my reading is filled with variety.
Rules and Guidelines
Okay now for some rules and guidelines because I like that sort of thing.
I will only read three books at a time. This does not include Scripture and devotionals and whatever systematic theology book I am reading. Those are constant features. Right now these are:
Songs About Jesus by Timothy Keller
Daily Doctrine by Kevin DeYoung
The Christian Faith by Michael Horton
One of those three books must be a work of fiction. This is important to me, because I get so caught up in nonfiction I end up reading very little fiction and I LOVE fiction and it’s good for me and I want to read more of it. Besides, I am working on writing a novel and it would be stupid to think I can do that well if I am not reading any.
I will NOT finish “bad” books. If a book isn’t working for me, I will no longer power through it. I don’t have to like what everyone else seems to like and no one should ever waste what little time they have to read on a lousy book and there are a lot of lousy books out there.
Okay, this is a work in progress but I like the direction I am taking here.
Self-optimization has become a go-to euphemism for what used to be known as self-help. The word’s evolution foregrounds the perfectionism that was always inherent in more rigorous forms of self-help while deftly leveraging the therapeutic elements of self-care, thereby lending the whole operation a moral sheen.
According to the school of self-optimization there exists an ideal version of you, and your main assignment in life, as an adult of substance and value, is to enflesh that apparition by whatever means necessary. It is time, in other words, to become the person you were always meant to be, the main difference being that you now have smart-tech to monitor your every step and ensure that you are taking the most well-informed and efficient route to the new you. Self-optimization is a data-drive approach to self-realization.
Self-optimization is almost always a solo act. Nearly everything we do to get our numbers up – of books read, of REM hours slept, of miles run, or meditation minutes logged – involves doing things on our own. The self-absorption isolates even further from one another at a time when loneliness reigns over every demographic of the population. The church of self-optimization imprisons us in our skull-sized kingdoms when what we need most is connection. It advocates a very narrow form of self-care, which is really not care for oneself (or others) at all.
I worshipped at the false church of self-optimization for many years and always found it isolating and that it brought me nothing but death-dealing shame. There was no way to become my “optimized self” and I honestly wasn’t sure what that looked like anyway. The standards were constantly changing based on whomever was popular at the time as an “expert” on self-optimization.
Here are 7 links I’d like to share with you this week…
1
The older I get (I’m 54) the more I think about death and dying. Not in a morbid way. I would like to live as long as I can and for God’s glory and honor. But I do think about it and some of the things I think about are “what-if” scenarios. Like, what if I get cancer and it is terminal? Do I get cancer treatments that may prolong my life for a short while although they will make me sick and suffer even more? Randy Alcorn answers a question like this on his blog and I found his response to be comforting and grace-filled.
2
Speaking of aging…Trevin Wax is an amateur middle ager (because he’s only 44) and offers some real encouragement for the rest of us in that group. I agree with him when he says that middle age is a gift. I remember turning 30 years old was REALLY difficult for me. But I welcomed turning 40, and even 50. And, if God is pleased to allow me to live that long, I look forward to 60, 70, and beyond.
3
I read this excellent article in Christianity Today called The God Who Must Not Be Named. It is about reverence for the name of the LORD. If your heart is to honor God in the way you speak of him, you will be encouraged by this one.
4
I am working with a few brothers in Christ at my church to plan a prayer and worship meeting for our men. I found this article from The Spurgeon Library helpful and wanted to share it with you. It’s about six different ways you can improve your church’s prayer meetings.
5
Years ago I was on a mission trip in Mexico and on an off day our team visited a local market. I bought two little sombreros for my oldest boys and looked for one for me. They didn’t have one big enough to fit my head. In fact, I soon found myself surrounded by a whole group of stall owners handing me different sombreros and laughing at me because my head was too big for them. Enter Lamood Big Hats! They don’t have sombreros, but they do have a lot of different hats for those of us with mammoth craniums. And, I like to wear hats.
Joseph McBee 