Re: Bruce Burns' Review

Quoted from review by Bruce Burns:

"Author: Bruce Burns ([email protected]) from Austin, Texas

"Enlightenment Guaranteed" is a feel-good comedy in the grand tradition of so many feel-good comedies: it is neither funny, nor does it make the viewer feel any better for having seen it. I have read some reviews that say it is profound and edgy, but I believe those reviewers have mistaken non-English dialogue for depth and the stunningly bad hand-held video cinematography for artistic purity.

Uwe is a kitchen salesman in Munich who likes his sleep and who loves his kids and has a very Western outlook on life. His brother Gustav is a Feng Shui consultant who structures his life around Zen meditation. When Uwe's wife leaves with the kids, Gustav takes him along on a trip to Japan, to the Monzen monastery near Tokyo.

Actually, the first hour where the brothers lose all their money and can't find their hotel and wander around lost in Tokyo is fairly amusing. The brothers don't speak Japanese, and the locals don't speak German. The only way they can communicate is in English, which neither the brothers nor most of the locals have a firm grasp of. Especially funny is when Gustav is forced into singing a German-language version of the disco hit "I Will Survive" for train fare.

But then the brothers eventually find the monastery and the film grinds to a halt. I guess the audience is supposed to be surprised that the "rigid Westerner" Uwe is more open-minded and better able to adapt to monasticism than the new-agey Gustav. Knowing as I do that Zen is about being connected rather than being detached from reality, that plot twist was not shocking to me. And seeing them perform the same rituals over and over again wasn't enlightening or meditative, it was simply numbing. And there are too many missed avenues of exploration. For instance: both brothers drive their wives away by making their wives do all the work at home; they never discuss this topic, and it fades away in the first half of the film. Instead, they keep chanting, cleaning, and making meaningless video diaries ad nauseum.

Some people say when praising this film that no Hollywood movie factory would ever make something like this. But I ask: is that necessarily a bad thing? 5 out of 10 "

My response:

While many of the points in this review are certainly valid, it really misses the point of the movie, which most likely explains your poor experience of the movie.

At its heart, Enlightenment Guaranteed is not a "feel-good comedy." Yes, its light-hearted nature would really only gives the option of comedy for this type of film. The Buddhist theme of the movie seems to be only a plot device but it is in fact the central point of the movie. If you walk into the theatre expecting to see a feel-good comedy, you will walk out bored. Let's please make that clear before you watch this.

It's clear from your post that you understand little of Zen Buddhism. Reality has little to do with the movie. That's a fairly western philosophical interpretation of the Buddhist notion of emptiness, and is better suited to describe nihilism. If you specifically want to tackle the notion fo reality head-on, it's crucial that you understand the notion of duality, or in your language, being both "connected" and "disconnected" from "reality." This is not essential for understanding the movie, so I will move on.

Again, you miss another important point by criticizing the movie for Uwe not doing anything to try to get his wife back. Throughout the movie they quote many Buddhist teachings. If you have no background in Buddhism, it is vital to pay attention to what they are saying. In this specific regard, listen for the Four Noble Truths. You will understand that the personal lives of Uwe and Gustav serve both to illustrate the Four Noble Truths and set-up the plot for their pilgrimage to the Zen monastery. The fact that by the end of the movie Uwe no longer makes video commentaries addressed to his wife is very significant because he no longer has found himself attached to his wife and family.

And as for the repetitive tasks they perform? Yes, in your shoes it would seem pointless and utterly boring. Else why would monks decide to enter a monastery for 10-25 years to do what you've watched day in and day out? Why not watch a film and attain enlightenment? That sequence is important because the actors actually did undergo the rigorous training which outside laypersons undergo in real life. And that is really all that a Zen monastery is about. And that is really what this movie is trying to convey.

Basically, don't criticize this movie for a misunderstood conception of what it is. If you are kind of interested in Buddhism and truly have an open mind towards the concepts of the Buddhist religion, I think you will enjoy the movie. If you've locked into your mind that this is a feel-good comedy, you will walk away disappointed.