I read somewhere recently that the purpose of school is to make people learn to conform.   I have to admit that a tight knot formed in my belly upon reading it.  Fighting words.  School is so much more.  Then I thought a bit more about it and found myself conforming to whomever’s idea it was.  Sit here, be nice, 2+2=4, oh, and you better agree with me.  I’ve spent a lot of my life agreeing with people.  Sometimes even when I really don’t.  It is easier and kinder and usually feels right.  What about those times when it doesn’t?  When I quit the charade and speak my mind?  It surprises people and I don’t get invited back to that cool clique on the playground.  Someone I used to know called it my hard nugget.  “See, you’re petite, and have such a sweet smile, and then POW! out comes the hard nugget.”

I would rather be alone than not be me.  It’s that simple.  Which is a rather roundabout way of getting to Visioneers, the topic of today’s spotlight.  It is a weird and wacky black comedy about the power of corporate America to infiltrate our lives (and the government), and one man’s struggle to discover his authentic self, no matter the cost.

When the number of people exploding from some mystery ailment drastically increases, Visioneer George Washington Winsterhammerman (played by Zach Galifianakis of The Hangover fame) begins to worry.  He’s got the classic symptoms – insomnia, loss of interest in sex, binge eating and, most frightening of all – he still dreams.

I really liked this movie.  First off, in the aforementioned wacky way, it totally made me laugh.  People at the company where George works  flip each other off and say, “Jeffers Morning” to greet each other.  The insignia for the company is this same gesture (see it there in the poster?).  They are terrified by chaos, but they call it “chay-os.”  They are an uber efficient and detached group of conformists, with an extreme terror of exploding.   Especially George.

Yet there is a certain pleasure in his work, a connection with his level four boss, Charisma.  She calls and is friendly, human even.  She attaches sticky notes with smiley faces to his work.  But, when she gets fired and disappears, George starts to unravel and descend into chay-os.  His already troubled marriage takes a turn; his weird, drop-out brother starts to make sense, and his dreams intensify.  Is he going to explode?  It was terribly worthwhile to find out.