It has been said that viewers today are more likely to consume entertainment or informational media that they believe will most likely reinforce their existing biases, rather than look for opposing or challenging points of view. This phenomenon is perhaps easiest to observe in movies when it comes to how people respond to documentaries focused on contentious issues or ideas, but it would be just as possible for a work of fiction to contain ideas, strongly presented, that might have a profound effect on what you believe.
This is a thornier—and maybe more personal—question than Must a Great Movie Have a Happy Ending. With that in mind, let’s Ask Movie Irv his opinion on the matter:
Irv’s a good sport, answering these tricky questions on the spot. You have a little more time now to consider your own answers. I thought about using variations on this question, like Has a Movie Ever Changed Your Life? (which is a bit more ambitious) and Has a Movie Ever Changed You? (which is a bit more broad and open to interpretation), so feel free to riff on those slightly altered inquiries as well.