There are some elements of this film which we can laud, but a few which we must warn the viewer of. The story of the seagull, Jonathan Livingston Seagull to be precise, has some great moments and are beautifully filmed. Neil Diamond’s songs blend perfectly with the story on the screen. Jonathan is different from the rest and he wants to fly faster and further than any other seagull has ever done. He wants to push the limits. When he is attacked by another fowl which claims the area, he bounces back. At one point he rests and gains strength and takes to the air once more when moments earlier he had almost given up. These allegories clearly point to our journeys along the road of life and the obstacles we frequently meet. Jonathan faces rain, snow and various forms of inclement weather and continues to overcome. In a nice scene, a teacher tells him to “work on love”.

However, there is dialog in the film about the next life and the idea of reincarnation is briefly mentioned. Also, one character “damns” the flock, and Dove never awards our Seal to a film in which a character or characters are damned by another character. Due to the language mentioned, we are unable to award our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal to this film.