Morgan as Nelson

Some of you are probably familiar with “The Grove” in L.A., a trendy shopping spot that’s good for celebrity sightings. Pepperdine Law alum, Rick Caruso, is the billionaire developer behind “The Grove” and similar shopping venues throughout Southern California. Today, we went to the “Americana at Brand” in Glendale, his latest development.

Between grabbing a bite for lunch and some shopping, we took in a matinee showing of “Invictus,” starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Going to the movies is a rarity for me, and really wanting to see a movie is rarer still. But I wanted to see Invictus. And I am very glad that I did.

Morgan Freeman has got to be one of the best actors of all time. Think of these amazing performances:
* Sergeant Rawlins in “Glory”
* Hoke Colburn in “Driving Miss Daisy”
* Red in “Shawshank Redemption”
* Scrap Iron in “Million Dollar Baby”
* God in “Bruce Almighty” and “Evan Almighty”

All those unbelievable performances make it even more improbable that he could take on a new role that ought to define his career. But I’m telling you that all the other roles were just leading up to this one. Morgan Freeman was born to play Nelson Mandela.

I’m a little slow getting around to seeing Invictus, so I’m not sure how long it will remain on the big screen. But I’d highly recommend that, if you haven’t seen it yet, you ought to make a point of getting there.