Movies and the Meaning of Life

'The meaning of life is the most urgent of questions,' said Albert Camus. And philosopher Woody Allen has wondered: 'How is it possible to find meaning in a finite world, given my waist and shirt size?' Claims about what gives life meaning have not only been analyzed by philosophers but by the primary mythmakers in contemporary culture: Hollywood filmmakers. Movies and the Meaning of Life shows how a wide variety of films have tackled to sometimes hilarious, sometimes surprisingly pointed effect the same questions that have obsessed the deep thinkers. These essays draw on such sources as The Truman Show and Contact to explore the nature of reality; Fight Club and Being John Malkovich for cogent lessons on finding one's true identity; American Beauty and The Shawshank Redemption for pointers on life's purpose; Pleasantville and Spiderman for nuggets of wisdom on how to live one's life; and more.