Grant Peelle's directorial debut “I’m Fine, Thanks” is a fast paced documentary produced by Adam Baker, with a catchy soundtrack.
"I'm Fine, Thanks" DVD and Poster BundleIts bright, crisp and welcoming scenes are uplifting amidst tales of self-doubt, panic attacks, deteriorated health and most importantly -- longing. The subjects are longing for the day when it feels good to get out of bed in the morning; to live a fulfilled life, whatever that looks like.
Through home video footage, interviews with people who each have a different definition of the American Dream, clips of his crew and narrated tours of a cross-country road trip to end complacency, Peelle makes it clear that “the day” to finally go after a dream never comes to those who just sit back in their rut and wait for it to arrive. The day to live a dream is today. The time is now. “I’m Fine, Thanks” blends humor, adventure and sometimes tragic reality checks that illustrate one thing - being fine is a miserable way to live.
No one has to bathe his or her brain in caffeine just to tolerate a job that he or she hates. No one has to work so many hours that he or she develops a hole in the intestine after sleepwalking for days on end while ones’ immune system plummets. It is heartbreaking -- alarming even, to climb a ladder, reach the top and then realize that you have it leaned up against the wrong wall. Realizing that you don’t even know what the right wall is, however, is even scarier. Continuing on paths that disappoint you is one way to guarantee that it will never be found.
Actresses Virginia Wilcox, Claire Kennedy-Vega and I at the East Coast Premiere of "I'm Fine, Thanks." Photo by Dave LaTulippe; Courtesy of Grant Peelle.
When people follow their dreams and live a life that is in alignment with who they are, they don’t answer the question “How are you?” with “I’m Fine, Thanks.” They respond with “I’m fucking great! Never been better. How about you?”
I don't know about anyone else, but that's the kind of response that I'd like to make more often than not. It beats the alternative!
What started as my attempt at writing a short review turned into this extended assessment. So, it looks like there will be two review series from now on at this blog: short reviews such as the one on “Blitz” and not-so-short ones such as the one on “Player Hating: A Love Story.”