Peaceful Warrior2006
Peaceful Warrior (2006)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Based on a best-selling memoir, Peaceful Warrior loses something in the transition from page to screen. It hits the viewer over the head with philosophical jargon, and ultimately fails to live up to its source material.
Peaceful Warrior Photos
Movie Info
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Cast
as Socrates
as Dan Millman
as Joy
as Coach Garrick
as Trevor Scott
as Tommy Warner
as Susie
as Kyle Williams
as Dr. Hayden
as Dory

as Thug One

as Thug Two

as As Himself

as Commentator One

as Man in Car
as Young Garage Man
as Dan's Neighbor
as Patricia Millman
as Dan Millman Sr.

as Medic

as Gymnast One

as Bar Patron #1

as Bar Patron #2

as Thug With Gun
News & Interviews for Peaceful Warrior
Critic Reviews for Peaceful Warrior
All Critics (71) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (18) | Rotten (53) | DVD (1)
[A] watchable exercise in Zen hokum.

Maybe there are worthy films buried in collections of spiritual homilies, but Peaceful Warrior is not one of them.

Don't go see Peaceful Warrior. Don't tell your friends about it. Try to forget you ever heard of the movie. Clear your mind and live in the now.
A movie about spiritual awakening that plays like a spliced-together string of New Age fortune cookie messages.

Starting with the title and extending everywhere else, Peaceful Warrior is blatantly ludicrous.
You're in the moment all right, experiencing every passing minute ticking off in slow motion until the blasted thing comes to a merciful end.
Audience Reviews for Peaceful Warrior
Kind of like a modern day Karate Kid, but with gymnastics instead of karate and with a whiskey- voiced Nick Nolte in the role of the old and wise "sensei", instead of Mr Miyagi. This movie might not be as good or memorable, but it's not that far from it either, as it does have a pretty solid and inspiring story. Even more so as it happens to be based on true events. It wouldn't have hurt with a little faster pacing though, because its draggy nature was unfortunately a bit off-putting and the biggest reason to why I couldn't give it more than 3 out of 5 stars.

Super Reviewer
Another film inspired by actual events. While not as entertaining and comical like other films based off of actual events, this film is still an inspiring movie.
The story moves along really really slowly. This is what will probably disappoint people the most. As mentioned earlier, this film is based on true events, but it is OK to twist and turn the story a bit to make it funny and entertaining. A successful example of this is Cool Runnings. A true inspiration for the children. While this film is slow and a little bit boring, it does add a tiny tiny dash of science fiction into the mix, which will keep your interest from time to time.
The cinematography also helps this film a lot. The nice camera work takes what could be mediocre shots and turns them into pieces of art. Well, maybe I'm over exaggerating a little bit. I've seen better shot films, but I've also seen worse. The ending of this film is probably the most dramatic part of the film and the final shot ends the film nicely. Some people may not like it, but most people should appreciate it.
Nick Nolte really carries this film with his performance. No Nick Nolte equals lower rating. While his acting is good, his dialgoue isn't as great. His philosophical words actually starts out pretty interesting, but as the movie goes by it becomes old rather quickly. The beautiful Amy Smart is really underused. She has very little airtime, but at least her role is pretty important.
In the end, this can be a moving film, but it will only cater to certain people. If you don't mind a slow dramatic film, gymnastics, and Nick Nolte, this film is for you.

Super Reviewer
Not for the faint of heart, or mind. This is indeed a deep and inspiring movie, oftentimes we ourselves question why we do what we do. Confronting that, is the hard thing.
Super Reviewer
Peaceful Warrior Quotes
Dan Millman Sr.: | when making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you must first apply the peanuts, not the jelly, to the bottom half of the bread. |
Dan Millman Sr.: | When making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you must first apply the peanuts, not the jelly, to the bottom half of the bread. |
Dan Millman: | The people who are the hardest to love are the ones who need it the most. |
Socrates: | Better never start, once you start , better finish |
Socrates: | Better never start, once you start, better finish |
Socrates: | Where are you? |
Dan Millman: | Here. |
Socrates: | What time is it? |
Dan Millman: | Now. |
Socrates: | What are you? |