The Walk HAS to be seen in 3D

Movie: The Walk

Rating: PG, 2 hours 3 minutes

Grade:  A-

In a Nutshell: BEWARE: If you’re afraid of heights, this movie may not be for you! The movie poster alone will make your palms start to sweat.

The inspiring true story of French “wire walker” Philippe Petit is engaging and inspiring.  The film moves slowly at first in order to give you some background story (and fill enough time to make a feature film), but when the big moment arrives when Philippe walks on a wire between New York City’s former World Trade Center Twin Towers, it’s worth every minute.

You must see this one in 3D, IMAX if you can…unless you’re afraid of heights…..

Uplifting Theme: 
• Every dream begins with a single step.
*Persistence. Fearful and frozen on the wire, Philippe finally said to himself, “I will only leave my wires and towers in victory.”
• Oh what the human spirit can accomplish!
• “We did it. We showed the world that anything’s possible.” – Jean-Louis (played by Clement Sibony)

Things I liked:
• Phillipe narrates his experience from the top of the Statue of Liberty, which is appropriate since Lady Liberty was a gift to the USA from France!
• If you loved Hundred-Foot Journey like I did, you’ll be happy to see Charlotte Le Bon in this film.
• Ben Kingsley is always a welcome addition to any movie.
• Is it too soon to make a movie featuring New York City’s fallen Twin Towers? Audiences say no. In fact, this movie pays a loving tribute to them as much as it does to Phillippe Petit. I remember visiting the Twin Towers when I was a college student. I dined in the restaurant on the top floor and was wowed by the views. My heart broke on 9/11 as those two dignified buildings collapsed. Since that horrific day, I have taken my family to Ground Zero to pay our respects to those who perished on the site 14 years ago.
• You’ll see some fantastic views of New York City. She steals every scene she’s in.
• Moonlight Sonata plays when Philippe walks on the wire. I remember my mother playing that on the piano when I was a little girl.  I loved it when the clouds covered the street scenes below and it felt like he was almost walking to the moon.  Philippe even says, “The clouds – they’re like music.”
• The movie is not entirely in French. Don’t worry, there are subtitles throughout the movie, but they’re not distracting.

Things I didn’t like: 
* It’s a little slow-moving in the beginning.
* The fact that Philippe tells us about his experience lets us know that he doesn’t die in his attempt (in case we didn’t already know.)
* Philippe called his amazing feat a “coup”.  There may be some who worry that Philippe’s defiance of the law (and gravity) might encourage young copy-cats to attempt other dangerous feats.

Interesting lines: 
• “People always ask me ‘Why do you risk death?’ For me, this is life.” – Philippe
• “What you did was something. I know I’ll never see anything like that again in my life. Good job.” – one of the cops who arrested Philippe after his illegal walk
• “Now every New Yorker loves the towers. Perhaps you’ve given them a life, given them a soul.” – Jean-Louis
• “You’ve accomplished your dream. Now it’s time for me to find mine.” – Annie (Charlotte Le Bon) • “I’m glad the towers called you.” – Annie
• “The dressing room…this is where the disguised impostor, the intruder, becomes the performer.” – Philippe

Did you know? 
• Director Robert Zemeckis wanted to find the most perfect 3D movie and this was what he came up with!
•Joseph Gordon-Levitt looks and speaks French with impressive believability.  He spoke French before the movie. He can also sing really well! He says that he gets more compliments from fans about his lip sync video of Nicki Manaj than any of his other work! Ha ha He has great poise in this film and almost dances across the wire with calm.
• The movie that preceded this film was Man on Wire, an Academy Award winning documentary in 2008.

Tips for Parents: 
• A construction worker calls Philippe and his crew “Frogs”, which your kids may not know is a derogatory nickname for the French.
• At one point, Philippe jumps around on top of the tower completely naked, but it’s late at night and dark, so you don’t see any “naughty bits.”
• Audiences will learn French sayings like “the carrots are cooked”, which means “there’s no going back”. In a country that prides itself on its world-class cuisine, many of the sayings are food-related!

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