Nearly two years ago I signed up with Netflix, and not long after I found myself sucked into the Netflix mini-game called “Rate as many movies as you can”. Those familiar with Netflix know what I’m talking about. You get to rate movies you’ve seen from 1 to 5 stars, and you can spend hours doing this if you’re not careful. It’s a little scary when you see the number of movies/TV shows you’ve rated tick up into the hundreds – I’m nearing the 1000 mark and bet I could hit if I spent more time “playing”. I’m not sure this is something to be proud of….
Anyway, the purpose of this rating system is to not only let others know what movies are most popular, but it also helps Netflix build a profile of content you like. They then use this information to start throwing suggestions at you. The more you rate, the more suggestions you get. Normally I’m not a fan of systems like this because I’m cautious about giving up certain private information to services outside of my control. In this case I’ve let it grow on me and have even started watching some of the suggested content. And so far, every single suggestion and it’s estimated rating (the rating they figure I’ll give the show) has been nearly spot on. In most cases I rate the content just as they guessed I would; sometimes even higher.
This brings me to the most recent suggestion: My Name Is Khan. Netflix figured I’d find it inspirational and would rate it 4 stars. The only part they got wrong was the rating. I gave it 5 stars.
This was a great movie. Made me laugh, sad, angry, ashamed (of other Americans), and inspired for the possibilities we (humanity) have to make the world a better place. The main actor (Shah Ruch Khan) plays a Muslim man with Asperger's Syndrome (form of autism), and portrays much of his life from early childhood to his adult experience in America. The actor does such an awesome job that you cannot help but fall in love with the character. In a way he reminds me of people with Down Syndrome (of which I have a few family members), and their frequent unconditional love and concern for essentially everyone around them. Often viewed as people with disabilities, they regularly show us the best part of our humanity – compassion and love.
I don’t want to spoil it further. This movie is well worth the near 3 hour investment you’ll make in watching it. I highly recommend it. It’s currently available On-Demand if you have a Netflix account, or you can pick it up from Amazon.
If you watch it, let me know what you think.