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Movies and the Meaning of Life

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Collaboratively organized and edited by Kimberly A. Blessing (Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Buffalo State College) and Paul J. Tudico (Philosophy Department, East Tennessee State University), Movies And The Meaning Of Life: Philosophers Take On Hollywood is an impressive collection of nineteen articles and essays on the impact popular films have had on the popular culture in terms of philosophical values. Organized into five sections, each contributor takes on a specific film ranging from "The Truman Show", to "Fight Club", to "Shadowlands", to "American Beauty", to "Groundhog Day", and more. Enhanced with a section providing descriptive credentials of the individual contributors and a thoroughly "user friendly" index, Movies And The Meaning Of Life is a welcome contribution to academic library "Philosophy" reference collections and highly recommended, accessible reading for film buffs as well.

As a movie buff interested in philosophy, MOVIES AND THE MEANING OF LIFE really jumped out at me as something to check out. I am glad I did. Many people probably think of philosophy as all stuffy, the realm of eggheads. It can be. But it can also be presented to people in a form that is not only accessible, but fun. This book achieves that.

Broken down into five sections and nineteen chapters, MOVIES AND THE MEANING OF LIFE explores some of the deep issues that some of history's heaviest intellects have wrestled with. The essence of reality, personal identity and what it even means to be an individual, religiosity and atheism, how to live one's life, and what one should try to get out of life are all explored. But the exploration, wonderfully, takes place through an examination of Spider-Man, Fight Club, Minority Report and numerous other movies. One of the strengths of the book is that most of the movies are well enough known for the book to be attractive to a good number of people, but with a few lesser known flicks thrown in for good measure.

All the essays are of a fairly good quality. However, as the essays are written by different philosophers, everyone will agree with some interpretations and analyses more than others. Yes, personally I thought the essay for Boys Don't Cry to be just one more piece of feminist drivel, while that for The Truman Show to be thought provoking and interesting. Surely, though, someone else will have different takes on them. It also serves the larger purpose of the book - to get one to think.

One of the few downsides is that the essays are not long enough to do anything more than scratch the surface of the ideas they explore. While I do not want 80 page theses on each movie, cutting the number of movies down to increase the essay size by another five or ten pages might have made the book better. Quality over quantity, I say. But I also say take what you can get.

The publisher of MOVIES AND THE MEANING OF LIFE has published a number of other books exploring philosophy through popular culture. Several look quite interesting and, based upon this one, I will no doubt read more. I recommend you do, as well.

Movies and the Meaning of Life: Philosophers Take on Hollywood is a very funny and very thoughtful collection of essays by philosophers on the topics that mean the most to them. This book is not another juvenile and pretentious book about the philosophy/religion/metaphysics of Buffy/Star Trek/Matrix.

The contributors to this book don't take themselves too seriously, but neither do they dumb down the philosophical concepts they're writing about - - from Nietzsche's idea of eternal return (in Groundhog Day) to the problem of free will vs. determinism (in Minority Report).

The philosophers who are examined in this book often contradict each other, so Movies and the Meaning of Life doesn't simply confirm your prejudices (existentialism vs. theism, for example, with one side set up to win). If you let it, this book makes you think.

It's also clear that the writers love movies in general and the films they discuss in particular.

It probably shouldn't have surprised me that some of the most depressing philosophical ideas are illustrated by a Woody Allen film, Crimes and Misdemeanors. I still rely on another Woody Allen movie to make me feel better when I contemplate the expansion and eventual extinction of the universe.

"What is that your business? You live in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is not expanding."

Open Court's titles specialize in and emphasize philosophy and Movies And The Meaning Of Life: Philosophers Take On Hollywood keeps with the strong intent of linking philosophical concepts to everyday popular culture. The meaning of life is the most basic of questions, and many a movie director has examined such meaning in their films. Movies And The Meaning Of Life contrasts these modern films of recent years and tackles topics ranging from how films help define identity and reality to how they illustrate interpersonal interactions. An excellent achievement.

This book is accessible to students and armchair philosophers who love movies. At a time where common culture is dwindling, movies seem to be the only thing that links us together. It is also an art form that is vital in a time where novels, sadly, have become a near obsolete form of expression. This book takes ideas and movies seriously. and it also takes movies seriously. It inspired me to take a second look at some of the movies like Being John Malkovich and Memento. Reading Kimberely Blessing's lead piece in the book on Descartes and the movie The Truman Show reminded my how much that particular movie anticipated the rise of reality TV. Truman Show brings Nozick's experience machine thought experiment to life.

Movies and the Meaning of life is a great as a supplement for introductory philosophy classes. I hope it sells well so that an expanded volume may be published which include new movies like Adaptation (Identity) and Million Dollar Baby (Bio Ethics).

As the title may suggest, this book explores various philosophical topics through the medium of film. The book is comprised of five broad sections and is a compilation of essays written mostly by philosophy professors, though some theology, humanities and education professors do contribute as well. A handy "who's who" of all the authors is included in the back of the text. Upon first opening the text, the reader is greeted with a useful introduction that gives a broad overview of what to expect in each section of the book, in addition to the purpose or goal of the book. The editors explain that movies have pervaded our culture and are a fantastic medium through which many topics are expressed, including philosophical ones. The five sections of the book are Are You For Real?; Who Am I?; Am I Alone?; What Do I Want Out Of Life?; and How Should I Live My Life? Topics such as reality, ethics, self-identity, metaphysics and politics are discussed through a wide range of "popular, controversial, and resonant films." Such films include American Beauty, Life is Beautiful, Minority Report, Spider-Man, Fight Club, and The Truman Show, just to name a few. Each section includes a deep, thoughtful discussion through the examination of three to five films. Specific scenes, characters, and plots of the film are discussed, and then connections are made to original works and theories by various philosophers such as Socrates, Nietzsche, Kant, Mill, and Hume among many others. Footnotes are included for specific reference of the text being discussed. Finally, each essay ends with two interactive sections. The first of these sections is entitled To Think About, and it provides three in depth questions that connect to the reading for further consideration. The second section is entitled To Read Next, and it provides a bibliography of all works mentioned in that particular essay. Overall, this text is extremely user-friendly, bringing philosophy down to an understandable yet deep level through the context of popular films.

The conceit of this book is to pair a prof of philosophy with a movie .The prof then tells us the underlying philosophy of the flick. Doesn't sound promising but it works. The profs selected to write---unlike most others---are clear and to the point. They are also fair---the one writing the chapter on Crimes and Misdemeanors talks about alternate interpretations. The one on American Beauty gives an interesting and convincing take on its Buddhist implications. Good chapter on Pulp Fiction. The book really enhances the experience of watching the movie. I also now give screenwriters even more credit for creating works of art.