This movie is exactly what 'the pursuit of happiness' is trying to be - a movie about triumph over adversity.
But this is not a movie of overcoming poverty to try and obtain a wealthy lifestyle; this is a movie about more than material things, and thank God for it.
Too many films these days send out the message that if we have money then we should automatically be happy, and if we don't then it follows we should be miserable.
This is about a man who, through no fault of his own, doesn't see life the way most of us do - he goes to a retirement village and shows the residents, and we the viewers as well, that living life is what should make us happy.
Friendship, love and helping others is his main aim; he doesn't care what people think of him, whether they laugh at him or adore him. I found this film very uplifting and extremely heartwarming for those facts alone.
However, Christopher Lambert shone in this role, his best ever in my humble opinion, and made the character of Gideon Dodds thoroughly believable. He enables the viewer, as well the elderly inmates, to see life through his eyes - and what a wonderful life it is.
The other actors were excellent too, but always Lambert's character stood out and stole every scene he was in. You had to love Gideon; his innocence is what is sadly lacking in the world today - even our children grow up faster, and so lose that wide eyed guilelessness and frank honesty far too soon.
The fact that Addison (Heston) reads from 'Don Quixote' towards the end of the movie says it all - yes, Gideon tilted at windmills much as Don Quixote did. But like that great fictional character he also saw all the good in people and in the world - a very special magic I think.
This film is a must for anyone who still has a heart to care about others, a mind that thinks money isn't always the answer to every problem, a soul which sees beyond what another one owns and arms that long to hug someone. You will find this film a magical tale of hope, just as Gideon's elderly friends did.
To anyone else; anyone who thinks that money and success, big cars and expensive houses are the answers to everything - don't bother, you'll be bored.
But this is not a movie of overcoming poverty to try and obtain a wealthy lifestyle; this is a movie about more than material things, and thank God for it.
Too many films these days send out the message that if we have money then we should automatically be happy, and if we don't then it follows we should be miserable.
This is about a man who, through no fault of his own, doesn't see life the way most of us do - he goes to a retirement village and shows the residents, and we the viewers as well, that living life is what should make us happy.
Friendship, love and helping others is his main aim; he doesn't care what people think of him, whether they laugh at him or adore him. I found this film very uplifting and extremely heartwarming for those facts alone.
However, Christopher Lambert shone in this role, his best ever in my humble opinion, and made the character of Gideon Dodds thoroughly believable. He enables the viewer, as well the elderly inmates, to see life through his eyes - and what a wonderful life it is.
The other actors were excellent too, but always Lambert's character stood out and stole every scene he was in. You had to love Gideon; his innocence is what is sadly lacking in the world today - even our children grow up faster, and so lose that wide eyed guilelessness and frank honesty far too soon.
The fact that Addison (Heston) reads from 'Don Quixote' towards the end of the movie says it all - yes, Gideon tilted at windmills much as Don Quixote did. But like that great fictional character he also saw all the good in people and in the world - a very special magic I think.
This film is a must for anyone who still has a heart to care about others, a mind that thinks money isn't always the answer to every problem, a soul which sees beyond what another one owns and arms that long to hug someone. You will find this film a magical tale of hope, just as Gideon's elderly friends did.
To anyone else; anyone who thinks that money and success, big cars and expensive houses are the answers to everything - don't bother, you'll be bored.