A Reluctant Review

I am kind of hesitant to write the review about the 3rd movie I mentioned in the first movie review post. I don't want to give the movie a whole lot of crediblity. But it was so out there that I gotta write about it! It's called "What the Bleep do We Know?" It stars Marlee Matlin. Yep, that deaf actress who has been on a few TV shows like the Practice, Law and Order and a couple bad movies. (One which had TTY relay operators as part of the plot...) "What the Bleep do We Know?" is a story about a frustrated photographer (Marlee Matlin) who learns about quantum physics and it revolutionizes her life.

The movie intersperses Marlee Matlin’s story and a LOT of computer graphics with scientists talking about quantum physics. This movie starts with a couple of basic scientific facts--or should I say theories (?)--and uses them to discuss New Age philosophy that I don’t agree with. The facts and quantum theories meander into New Age philosophies that negate the Christian concept of God and say that either god is an anonymous universal force, is in everything, or we are god. I think it’s a bunch of mumbo jumbo. (Yes, that's a scientific term!)

One of the main scientific facts discussed is that all matter is made of atoms. Atoms are made of nuclei and the electrons which whirl around them. Between the electrons and nuclei is empty space. The “What the Bleep do We Know?” scientists admit that the electrons are so small and fast that they don’t actually know where those electrons are, but they have potential paths. From this the scientists conclude that all objects and are potentialities rather than realities. The theory is illustrated during a basketball game between Marlee Matlin and an African American boy who speaks like a quantum physics guru. When Marlee Matlin turns her back to the boy, he is in 20 different places on the basketball court all at once; when she turns back toward him, he is in one spot. They also say that our minds create everything that we see and experience. I just can’t agree with that. I didn’t create the desk and chair that I am sitting at or the laptop computer that I am typing on! They are not products of my brain. They exist outside of my perceptions!

The second scientific fact discussed in “What the Bleep do We Know?” is that thoughts and emotions are the result of neurochemicals in the brain. It was part of the “the mind creates reality” theory. The movie makers used some pretty cool graphics to illustrate the chemicals going from neuron to neuron in the brain. In a nutshell, the movie scientists say that we can choose how to react to the perceptions and emotions we have. I can agree with that because it’s basic cognitive psychology. Choosing how to think about our emotions or circumstances in life can help us get over anger, anxiety or depression.

For example, last Saturday I had to work at Reserve America. A coworker got on the bus a few stops after me. When I saw her I said “So you’re putting in your time on the weekends, too, huh?” The lady rolled her eyes, frowned at me and said “I work every weekend.” It was pretty rude. I could have taken what she said a number of ways. I could think that she was a bitch and never talk to her again. Years ago I probably would have thought that I was a stupid person who deserved to be treated rudely for talking to her. Now I can be more objective and think that she must've been unhappy about working on the weekend.

“What the Bleep do We Know?” is a movie that is supposed to cause us to question reality. I guess it is supposed to enlighten us and change our perceptions. It made me want to clean the bath tub! I stopped the DVD and actually gave it a scrub. (Eventually I finished watching the DVD.) I fast forwarded thru the "Polish Wedding" scene because the animation was dumb. At the end of the movie, the scientists gave their credentials. A couple of them were actually physicists and psychologists! They all had written quantum physics books which they plugged, of course. One of them was a chiropractor and another was a lady who called herself “Ramtha.” If you follow the link, you'll find that Ramtha is a spirit that J.Z. Knight channels for a "School of Enlightenment." J.Z. Knight has been on Coast to Coast AM. (Feel free to laugh at the show synopsis I linked to!) The movie directors are Ramtha devotees, by the way. I rented this DVD from Netflix out of curiosity. I pretty much knew that it would be a bunch of New Age crap. I was right.