** (Two stars)
This event flick was filmed on the last day of the Dali Lama’s public lectures at Radio City Music Hall this past October. Disappointingly, the introduction by the charismatic Richard Gere is probably the most exciting part of the entire film. After a very humble and subtle entrance onto center stage, where His Holiness seats himself Indian-style in an antique wooden chair, he keeps the crowd in complete anticipation by staying silent for about five minutes before speaking. It's all downhill from there.
The documentary suffers from a lack of subtitles, as the Dali Lama is very hard to understand. I found myself exerting more energy just trying to make out his words than soaking in and comprehending his wisdom. As far as I could grasp, he touched on issues relating to personal happiness, peace and improving the collective lot of mankind. If only I knew what he said.—Zoltan Szalas, marketing intern
[This is a TONY staff review, written for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. It is not considered an official review and should not be read as such. Please think of it as a casual impression from a movie-loving friend.]