Tom Shadyac's 'I Am' Trailer

In the 1990s Tom Shadyac was one of the most successful directors in Hollywood. From Ace Venture: Pet Detective, to The Nutty Professor and Liar, Liar, he was making the kind of huge hit comedies studios dream of. Then Shadyac was in a bad bicycle accident that changed everything. His physical injuries healed but the experience changed his outlook on life. He sold his mansion, moved into a trailer, gave away his money and possessions and began thinking about a movie that would explore how we, as humans, can change the way we live and make the world better. That documentary, I Am, will be out in February. Check out the inspirational trailer and read the plot synopsis after the break.

Here's the trailer for Shadyac's I Am. If you'd like to know about Shadyac's situation, the Los Angeles Times did a great profile.

That has Oscar 2012 written all over it, doesn't it? And you've gotta love the tagline: "The Shift is About To Hit the Fan."

Here is the official plot description of I Am.

I AM, a prismatic and probing exploration of our world, what's wrong with it, and what we can do to make it better, represents Tom Shadyac's first foray into non-fiction following a career as one of Hollywood's leading comedy practitioners, with such successful titles as "Ace Ventura," "Liar Liar," and "Bruce Almighty" to his credit.  I AM recounts what happened to the filmmaker after a cycling accident left him incapacitated, possibly for good. Though he ultimately recovered, he emerged a changed man. Disillusioned with life on the A-list, he sold his house, moved to a mobile home community, and decided to start life anew.

Armed with nothing but his innate curiosity and a camera crew, Shadyac embarks upon a journey to discover how he as an individual, and we as a race, can improve the way we live. Appearing on-screen as character, commentator, guide, and even, at times, guinea pig, Shadyac meets with a variety of thinkers and doers–remarkable men and women from the worlds of science, philosophy, and faith–including such luminaries as David Suzuki, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lynne McTaggart, Ray Anderson, John Francis, Coleman Barks, and Marc Ian Barasch.  An irrepressible Everyman who asks many questions but offers no easy answers, he takes the audience to places it has never been before, and presents even familiar phenomena in completely new and different ways.

To you, what's the most impressive or incredible part of this story?