Has it come to this? Is legendary documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger now making branded content for the undeniably charismatic self-help guru Tony Robbins? Sure, filmmakers fund their passion projects through a variety of projects that pay the bills, from Errol Morris’ commercial work to Berlinger’s own helming of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, but Tony Robbins: I’m Not Your Guru is a particular beast of a concert film with an undeniable emotional power that isn’t quite the character study I had come to expect from the director of Metallica: Some Kind of Monster.
Of course, the film may resist criticism as Robbins devotees receive access to his Date With Destiny, an event they might otherwise not be able to attend. Berlinger takes his camera to Robbins’ 6-day Boca Raton retreat, an “intimate” event limited to an audience of 2,500 where the cost of attendance is just under $5,000 — even after Netflix’s recent price hikes, the film is still a deal. Cinephiles who may think this kind of personal emotional journey full of long days and intense conversation is unusual probably have yet to experience the intense summer camp for film scholars that is the annual Flaherty Film Seminar.
Compressing six 12-hour days into 115 minutes, each intervention is trimmed as Robbins deconstructs the faces in the crowd, assessing their upbringing and delivering blunt and frank guidance often dropping an F-bomb for effect. Many of the stories are quite touching, including Dawn, a 26-year-old sexual abuse survivor who is assigned three uncles in the audience to check-in with her over the course of the next few months. Others come to work on their marriages, relationships or themselves – men roar, couples break up, and others have their own breakthroughs.
Berlinger periodically questions Robbins who seems often too sure of himself and the post-script, which follows up with select subjects a few months later, never digs deep. Behind-the-scenes footage is quite sparse as we’re treated to a few Robbins warm-up rituals, including immersing himself in a well of cold water and vocal exercises. His wife Sage appears briefly in a moment that looks like infomercial B-roll to tell us that Tony is the exact same person on stage as he is off stage. Where the film resists criticism is that one could say it’s not about Tony — it’s about the collective “you.” There’s no doubt he offers comfort in his self-help strategies, but Berlinger has taken him at his word and crafted a doc that tows the party line. Followers of Robbins — perhaps those that have attended his Date with Destiny retreat — will more than likely enjoy the picture.
Debuting on Netflix after a festival run that included SXSW, Full Frame and HotDocs, the film plays like one of those Fathom Events alternative content presentations that grace national movie-screens on weekday nights. Perhaps that’s what it should have been; an objective documentary this is not and, ironically enough, as a character study, both Justin Bieber documentaries are more successful. Cynically, Tony Robbins: I’m Not Your Guru could be read as another branded product, designed to suck you into the Robbins system. Who am I to say if Robbins is more dangerous than Joel Osteen, another character whom I imagine would approve a documentary that asks so few questions of his methods.
While not terribly insightful, passages are undeniable electric as Robbins captivates an audience that has plunked down a lot of cash to see him. I couldn’t help to think what happens months and years down the line and if attendance at Date with Destiny was a kind of required maintenance. Repeat customers who appear in the film include TV stars Julianne Hough and Maria Menounos, who offer guidance to Dawn, the young woman who shares her horrific story with Robbins. Has Robbins and his support team had a breakthrough that years of therapy have not for someone like Dawn? It’s difficult to say based on a 115-minute film. Berlinger, who is in a much better position to explore this question over six days, barely asks.
Tony Robbins: I’m Not Your Guru was screened at Rooftop Films and premieres on Netflix on July 15.