Update: “I Am” by Tom Shadyac

Last December, I posted this:

The documentary recounts what happened to the filmmaker after a cycling accident left him incapacitated, possibly for good. Though he ultimately recovered, he emerged a changed man. Disillusioned with life on the A-list, he sold his house, moved to a mobile home community, and decided to start life anew. Armed with nothing but his innate curiosity and a camera crew, Shadyac embarks upon a journey to discover how he as an individual, and we as a race, can improve the way we live.”I Am” has already appeared at the Hampton Film Festival and is now set to appear in theaters in February, in limited release.

Here is the movie’s trailer:

Now this per IndieWire:

After three weekends of promising grosses from screenings in Seattle, Portland, and the San Francisco area, Tom Shadyac’s “I Am” opens in Los Angeles today, continuing what has a proved to be a uniquely successful manner of release. “I Am” has totaled $70,196 so far, impressive for a film that has never been on more than 5 screens at any given time. For Shadyac, however, it represents a tiny fraction compared to the films most know him for, from Jim Carrey comedies “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “Liar Liar” and “Bruce Almighty,” to “Patch Adams” and “The Nutty Professor.” Clearly, “I Am” has little in common with those films.

A very personal documentary, it begins with Shadyac recounting what happened to him after a cycling accident left him incapacitated. He emerged from the accident with a new sense of purpose, thus leading him to the material at the core of “I Am”: a discussion with various intellectual and spiritual leaders — including David Suzuki, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lynne McTaggart, Ray Anderson, John Francis, Coleman Barks, and Marc Ian Barasch — about what’s wrong with our world and how we can improve the way we live in it. It has struck a chord with audiences, many of whom have had the opportunity to speak with Shadyac after the screening.

“People have been falling in love with the film for months now,” Mark Urman, head of “I Am” distributor Paladin, told indieWIRE. “We have screened it at literally dozens of festivals and schools and, in each instance, Tom has been there at the end of the screening.” Urman added, “When he takes the stage, people feel as if they already know him, and a love fest ensues. He’s had the most amazing Q & A sessions, with standing ovations and, quite literally, group hugs.”

For more, go here.

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