THE FOURTH NOBLE TRUTH SHOWS THE LIMITS OF BUDDHISM IN HOLLYWOOD
An egotistical Hollywood star, Aaron (played by Harry Hamlin), is in trouble with the law. His attorney suggests that he see a meditation specialist, Rachel (Kristen Kerr), who can report on his improvements so that the judge will give an appropriate sentence for his road rage. After identifying the four noble truths, she daily explains the eight steps to enlightenment (with titles on the screen). But Aaron finds Rachel sexually irresistible, though she has taught him the Buddhist principle that unhappiness is a direct result of selfish desire. Both characters are transformed as the plot unfolds, but important scenes in that transformation have to be assumed by filmviewers because they are not on the screen. Writer-director Gary McDonald appears to want to teach the truths of Buddhism, even in sin-city Tinstletown. MH