Fairways to Happiness

Wonderful people, scenery, bits of insight, and moments to laugh. Don't need to be a golfer to enjoy, but it sure was fun sitting next to one through this showing in Maine!

This is not only a good film about subjective wellbeing, lie satisfaction and philosophical views on what makes people happy, it's also a great insiders view of the United Arab Emirates and its national mandate around happiness. Worth it on so many levels as both the country as well as the topic are not the usual conversation starters for most people. This is good watching for a university class in positive psychology as it broadens the view of happiness and includes a range of cultural views as well as national perspectives all from the UAE. Makes you think and consider your own definition of happiness right alongside it... Enjoy!

Doug Morrione has done us a great service by bringing to the screen a snapshot of life in Dubai, as the film explores what happiness means to a diverse group of individuals. The inclusion of experts in education and in science, such as Dr. Martin Seligman and his theories of positive psychology, provide balance to Eugene's goal of mastering his score on the golf course.

An added bonus was the beautiful photography of the area as well as some insight in the day-to-day life of ex-pats living in a "borrowed" land. The film is both timely and appropriate---as well as amusing!--for the times in which we live.

Funny, thought provoking, and some heart from a film following expats some struggling and some striving to "break 80" golfing in Dubai. The country's community of expats is diverse and deserving of this deep dive. And along with the experts questioned in the making of this film, together they offer a unique and one of a kind tableau that even gets the viewer questioning what they are struggling towards or striving for. Only Director Douglas Morrione's unique voice could bring such seemingly disparate themes and topics together in such a thoughtful, charming, and overall funny documentary. Even if you have never stepped foot on a golf course or visited the UAE, this movie may not inspire you to such endeavors but it will inspire in you something greater.

I found myself reviewing my own thoughts on happiness. Thought provoking, humorous, well done. The filmography and all those serial shots so well done. All in all I really enjoyed the film and probably learned a few more golf term words. That interviewee definitely has a good outlook on life and his golf game.