Maybe the problem is NOT Malick …

I’ve been reading a number of negative reviews of Terrence Malick’s film “The Tree of Life,” and I’ve been surprised by some of the enmity. Following is something I intend to say, in one form or another, on this week’s “Movies 101” :

What I find most amazing about reactions to “The Tree of Life” are those, by seemingly intelligent people, that are so nasty in tone. Those that say watching it is like watching grass grow or, one of my favorites, one long Pepsi commercial.

Look, I’m bending over as far as I can to be fair here. If you don’t connect with the film, fine. No problem. I’m not trying to say that “The Tree of Life” is a perfect creation. Maybe the dinosaurs are a stretch. Maybe there are one or two too many shots of glorious nature or Kubrick-style references to the great beyond.

At the same time maybe you should try to do is open your mind to what Malick is trying to talk about instead of merely reacting in a knee-jerk manner because you just don’t get it.

Maybe you’re the problem, not Malick’s film. Maybe anything that challenges the way you’ve been trained to see movies — in a linear fashion, with simple answers and maybe an exploding car or two – will be a problem for you .

Hey, it’s possible.