by Josh Lipovetsky

Created on: October 13, 2009

Gran Torino is an excellent movie, and it focuses on the importance of reaching out to help others. It shows the story of an old, depressed and cranky man named Walt Kowalski, and how he literally and figuratively saved the life of a young man named Thao. The movie presented 2 main lessons; the first being the importance of reaching out to help someone in need, the other being the necessity to learn to step outside of your comfort zone in order to progress in life.

It is of no surprise to the viewers, that Thao is a teenager who needs to be helped. It is the basis of the movie. He is constantly being harassed by a gang which his cousin belongs to, and he desperately does not want any part in it. Unfortunately, no one steps in to intervene, so Thao ends up being pressured to steal Kowalski's 1972 Gran Torino, an extremely beautiful car in mint condition. Thao is caught by Kowalski, and is unsuccessful in carrying out the gang's bad deed. Kowalski sees Thao for who he truly is, and lends his helping hand. This was a huge step for Kowalski, stepping out of his narrow comfort zone to help a young man in desperate need. If Kowalski never decided to help Thao, then Thao may have suffered a completely different or unfortunate fate.

Walt Kowalski was not a nice man, but he had a natural need to help a young man get his life back on track. That took great courage on Walt's part, and a huge step out of his comfort zone. As humans, we all develop a certain comfort zone as we grow up, and get situated into our environments. Everyone's comfort zone is different, made up of many aspects. Social, Emotional, Psychological, Physical, and Mental boundaries are all set inside of our heads. This can explain why some people find it easy to interact or get along with others, while some people prefer to be isolated, or keep to themselves. It is a combination of genetics and environmental factors that shape us. Our comfort zones are always changing, and when we don't do something to step out and expand them, then we will not progress as a people. Walt Kowalski had a pretty small comfort zone. He was mean and rude to everyone he met, including his own family! An act of self defense (against Thao, who tried to steal his Gran Torino) opened up his comfort zone, and gave him the power to go to a party, hosted by Thao's relatives. That further made Kowalski more comfortable around Thao, and soon he taught Thao about work, the tools in his garage, and they became good friends. There were unfortunate circumstances present in the environment, which prevented Thao and Kowalski from being friends for a long time, but it was the help that Kowalski gave that mattered most in the long run.

There are movies like Gran Torino, but it seems like they are getting pretty hard to come by. I have yet to see a movie that mixes such serious aspects of life with such hilarious lines and character situations. Helping others who need it will result in an expansion of your own comfort zone. Gran Torino shows that this statement is completely true. This movie is gold, and receives the highest recommendation that I can possibly lend to a movie. You will not regret watching this powerful, inspirational movie.

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