10 Reasons Why ‘The Tree of Life’ is Worth Watching

1.) Terrence Malick: He’s the dude behind Badlands, Days of Heaven, The New World, The Thin Red Line, and according to IMDb, he’s holding the reigns of another movie called Untitled Terrence Malick Project. The title alone screams MASTERPIECE! In The Tree of Life, he explores the meaning of life via a family in the 1950s and — well — that’s all I got from it. His films are quite poetic, meaningful, visual and, in a weird way, a glorious mindfuck that make critics praise him and average moviegoers scratch their heads.

2.) Brad Pitt: For one moment, let’s forget the fact that everyone — males and females — want to boink him. Pitt is the perfect example of how an attractive celebrity learned “his craft” with each and every one of his projects since Growing Pains. He’s hot tabloid fodder that could act. With this movie, he is a disciplinary dad with a heart of gold.

3.) Jessica Chastain: She plays the venerable maternal figure and is a beautiful creature in this work of cinephilia. Please read this. It will explain it all.

4.) Kids getting appropriately getting punished: FINALLY. A movie where children actually get punished and not coddled. Then again, it was a different time. Even so, perhaps some parents should take a cue from Pitt’s stern actions as a dad so that our future leaders won’t be a bunch of Snookis, Parises, and every other reality show monger out there. I mean, I was raised in a house with strict, but fair, actions and I turned out fine. I just hate the world.

5.) Dinosaurs!: If you want to quench your thirst for dinosaurs in a movie, there are a couple wandering about in The Tree of Life. I am totally serious.

6.) Kaleidoscopic visuals: As mentioned, Malick is visual. Very visual. So visual that there are some moments where the screen is invaded with something that looks like a Windows 97 screensaver. It’s absolutely gorgeous.

7.) Bros 4 Life: The trio of young brothers in this film are remarkable — especially Hunter McCracken who plays the younger version of Sean Penn (I forgot to mention he’s in it too). All the brothers band together like a melancholy Voltron providing the perfect blend of heartache, mischief, rebellion, child-like wonder, innocence and the unbreakable bond of siblings.

8.) A love letter to Texas: Malick shot mostly in Texas — and he still lives there (I think). I used to reside there. That’s pretty cool.

9.) It’s won an award!: It won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. That’s significant, right?

10.) It’s very high-brow: When it comes down to it, I did not understand this 81.3% of this movie. My ignorance of such high-brow, borderline pretentious material automatically makes it brilliant — but you don’t have to take my word for it (insert Reading Rainbow theme music here)!

The Tree of Life opens in San Francisco theaters Friday, June 3.