Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru

The quality of this documentary is inevitably dependent on your thoughts of Robbins and his work and the self-help industry. Those who have seen and experienced the good from what he does will enjoy the in-the-moment apparent transformations of those who have suffered terrible abuse, suicide attempts, and less-than-fulfilling interpersonal relationships into more assertive and confident people given the tools to take control of their own destinies. On the other hand, skeptics will be turned off by the infomercial feel of Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru, of how there doesn't seem to be anyone of the thousands who paid $5000 a pop for their "Date with Destiny" seminar who was less than satisfied. In fact, the film's director, Joe Berlinger, worked with Robbins in the past, and said it was a "life-changing experience."

Indeed, nothing is really called into question, even as light shows and well-timed musical cues help set the groupthink mood that also works for evangelists in megachurches, pop and rock concerts held in arenas and stadiums, and dictators past and present. And it's not to say that Robbins isn't motivated to do good and to help others live better lives -- this aspect is shown before, during, and after these events as Robbins tirelessly works at least twelve hours a day with the participants. The problem is that the movie doesn't silence those cynics who would point out the long, lingering footage of his luxurious West Palm Beach mansion, or how he applies a mix of alpha-male intimidation, New Agey philosophy covered in f-bombs to sound less New Agey, and the kind of American derringdo common to Amway and Horatio Alger novels of the Gilded Age. It's just that the lack of scrutiny, of critical thought, raises as many questions as it seems to provide answers to those so desperately in need of the kind of help that typically takes years of therapy to work through.