The new movie by Disney / Pixar may be my favorite movie of 2020. SERIOUSLY. It’s so good. In fact, it’s GREAT!
Hats off to Disney! Here are a few my thoughts… (Some SPOILERS may appear, but I’ll do my best to not give away too much…)
There’s so much to commend about this movie.
1. First up, it’s ORIGINAL.
In a movie landscape dominated by sequels, retreads and super heroes. SOUL tells the story of an ordinary “Joe.” Literally. Joe is actually his name. He’s a middle school band teacher who loves jazz music and dreams of being a great jazz musician. The movie is about him and an “unborn soul” simply named “22.”
Joe is voiced by Jamie Foxx. 22 is voiced by Tina Fey. They are both exceptional! They’re so good you’ll forget you’re watching an animated flick.
The first time I watched the movie I was blown away by the creativity of the story and the awesomeness of the soundtrack. The music in this movie is enthralling! (BTW, the score was written and performed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross — yeah, that Trent Reznor of NIN. The jazz instrumentals on the piano were written and performed by 24-year-old jazz phenom, Jon Batiste. Again, the soundtrack is exceptional!)
I was also so thankful that Disney chose to make this film. It’s risky. It’s bold. This isn’t your standard kids flick. It’s a movie with substance and heart. We need more movies like it!
2. Second, THIS MOVIE HAS SOMETHING TO SAY.
Three thoughts:
1) It has SOMETHING TO SAY about purpose, passion, life, death, actually living and not missing out on all the moments along the way…
I know. I know. It’s depictions of “the great beyond” and “the great before” don’t necessarily represent a biblical worldview of pre-life and after-death, but they’re not supposed to. The storytellers aren’t really making a theological or philosophical statement about what happens before we’re born or after we die, they’re really using these as a means of telling a story about what it means to discover your purpose, find your passion and not miss out on the beauty and opportunity of living the life you’ve been given and loving the people you interact with on a daily basis.
I love one of the posters for SOUL. It sums up the movie like this: “Everybody has a soul. JOE GARDNER IS ABOUT TO FIND HIS.”
Come on! When’s the last time you watched a movie about finding your soul, discovering your purpose, living your passion and discovering that simply living a life of love, kindness, grace, generosity, wonder, courage and beauty may be a big part of the PURPOSE you were designed for?
At one point in the film, 22 says to Joe, “Maybe sky watching could be my spark? Or, walking? I’m really good at walking?”
To which Joe unwisely responds, “Those aren’t really PURPOSES, 22. That’s just REGULAR OLD LIVING.”
Joe will later discover the truth of something Allen Saunders once wrote and John Lennon sang, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
Joe will discover that “regular old living” can be FULL of PURPOSE and MEANING and PASSION.
2) In terms of having something to say, the movie even explores some of the LIES we all have to CONFRONT that keep us from living the life we were meant to live.
When Joe sees a group of “unborn souls” apparently crushed by something falling on them, 22 tells joe: “Don’t worry. They’re fine. You can’t crush a soul here. That’s what life on Earth is for.”
BOOM. That line nearly took my breath away…
Because so many “SOULS” get CRUSHED on earth by LIES that keep us from experiencing LIFE the way GOD intended it. LIES spoken over us by others or lies we even tell ourselves. LIES like:
“I’m not good enough…” Or,
“The world needs remarkable people and you are the least remarkable soul I’ve ever met.” Or,
“There’s no point. You’ll never find your spark.” Or,
“You ruin everything… You have no purpose.”
All of those lines and LIES show up in the movie, and the movie is about how these LIES can be blown to smithereens by the LOVE and KINDNESS of a friend who refuses to give up on us, even when we’ve given up on ourselves.
3) Finally, the movie has something to say about the beauty of LIVING EVERY MOMENT.
At one point, when Joe argues with his mother about whether or not he should pursue a career as a jazz musician or accept a teaching position as a middle school music teacher, Joe says to Libba:
“I’m just afraid that if I died today, then my life would have amounted to nothing.” —Joe
Have you ever felt like that? Joe feels it. Deeply.
Libba responds with such kindness and grace. She knows her sons’ life matters. Knows it… She doesn’t correct him. Instead, she gives him a special gift that reminds him that HE IS HIS FATHER’S SON. That He has an IDENTITY. This scene reminded me that IDENTITY isn’t something I have to work for, it’s something that is given. Given to me by God. It reminded me that despite all the LIES I tend to believe, my Father wants to clothe me in His righteousness… And just being HIS SON is enough.
As Joe continues his journey of self-discovery, when he’s asked by Jerry, “How are you going to spend your life?” He wisely responds, “I’m not sure, but I do know I’M GONNA LIVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT.”
Joe’s words reminded me of the prayer of Moses captured in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!” (Psalm 90:12 MSG)
SOUL is a beautiful movie that moved me deeply! Again, it may be my favorite movie of 2020.
It’s a movie we need after a year like this.
You’ve got SOUL. I’ve got SOUL. We all have got SOUL! Let’s go out there and LIVE IT!
Check out SOUL now streaming on DISNEY+.I would love to hear your thoughts about the film.