The Shift – Movie Review

The concept of The Shift movie is quit simple. Early in life we are conditioned by society to ambitiously force our way through life, but at some point a shift can take place where we start to “Let go and let God” as is said in the movie, moving to a place of meaning and contribution. The movie follows a film crew who spend a few days interviewing Dr. Wayne Dyer as he describes this shift.

When I first saw the trailer I was a bit unimpressed. The Shift looked like a cheap cash in on the success of The Secret. I have to say, however, I was pleasantly surprised. The movie is fantastic, and far exceeds The Secret in many ways.

The most impressive thing about The Shift is the way the information is presented. The producers of this film have combined a dramatic movie with information that is usually presented in an audio program or self help book. It is quite a bold step. I have seen a few other movies that have done this, and they were mostly forgettable. Not so with The Shift. It is really a step forward in storytelling.

The risk that this movie takes is that it is right on the edge of being preachy. Throughout the film Wayne Dyer spends almost all of his time teaching people without much back and forth communication. I can imagine that people who are not initially open to this style of learning might feel like they are being indoctrinated in Dyer’s religion. However, if you can let go and be open to the entire experience, it is an awesome ride.

The amazing thing about how this story is told is that it offers you conscious map pieces from Dyer’s talks, and at the same time gives experiential support through the narrative. If you have ever listened to or read Dyer before you will know that he is a fabulous storyteller. He knits together the theoretical and experiential like no one else. The format of this movie just pushes it to another level. Near the end I felt like I had an embodied understanding of the subject unlike any book, audio program or movie I have seen before. It really is a beautiful way to pack information into a product.

Bottom Line:

The Shift is probably the best spiritual/self help movie out there. If you can open up and let it do it’s thing, you will not regret it. See this movie for sure.