'Peaceful Warrior'

Gymnast Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz) is one of the best at what he does, and he has it all: perfect abs, a big bulge in his crotch, beautiful girlfriends, and the ability to balance full beer glasses on his feet. There's just one small problem . . . he has bad dreams. Taking a night walk to clear his head of the nocturnal visions, he comes upon a grizzled gas station attendant (Nick Nolte) who mysteriously disappears and reappears, offering some new-agey philosophy once he has the kid's attention. Dan sarcastically dubs the guy "Socrates," and since a real name is never offered or revealed, the philosopher moniker sticks. Under the old man's tutelage, Dan learns to live for the moment, a skill that apparently gives him super reflexes and the ability to see things in bullet time. It's based on a work of fiction and autobiography from the '80s titled Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives, and it mostly plays like utter nonsense onscreen, but it's never exactly boring.