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"Al Gore's Warming
Up To His Audience" |
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Directed by Davis
Guggenheim - Written by
Al Gore
Starring Al Gore
Distributed by Paramount
Classics - 2006 -
100mins - Rated PG |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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B- |
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A global warning. |
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Al Gore is right.
The scientific community, at least as documented by research,
wholeheartedly supports the basic concepts, ideas, and suggestions set
forth by Gore in his critical darling of a documentary "An
Inconvenient Truth."
The documentary, directed by Davis Guggenheim, is based upon Gore's
PowerPoint presentation on global warming that has been years in the
making and seen by audiences worldwide. His research, presented here
in a manner that is clear, concise and easily accessible to the most
simple of human intellects, is nothing we haven't heard before. Yet,
in "An Inconvenient Truth" it may very well be presented for the first
time in a way that even the most resistant human being will have a
hard time denying that: 1) Global warming is an issue, 2) If we don't
do something about it soon it may be too late, and 3) There ARE, in
fact, things we can do to reverse the seeming path towards destruction
we are on.
Despite its claims of being a non-partisan documentary, "An
Inconvenient Truth" does, at times, dip into partisan waters. For
example, whenever Gore is presenting anti-global warming voices they
always seem to be major Republicans. Likewise, on at least two
occasions "An Inconvenient Truth" crosses the line into
self-indulgence as Gore reflects on his loss to Bush and, as a direct
tie-in, the impact this loss has had on the economy. These moments are
portrayed with a sort of dark, shadowy lighting that would make Clint
Eastwood mighty proud. It's not necessarily that Gore doesn't have a
valid point, but it's, well, a bit tacky for him to make the point
himself.
Much has been made of the spirit and fervor with which Gore speaks in
"An Inconvenient Truth." Contemplating this fact only serves as a
reminder of how Gore lost to Bush (well, besides that Florida issue).
Even at his most exciting, Gore tends to project himself as more
intellectual than insightful, more interested in lecture than
dialogue.
At one point near the end of "An Inconvenient Truth," Gore wonders
aloud how he can possibly get his message across to more people,
including those who've seemingly been resistant to hearing this truth.
The answer may very well lie in his presentation of the material
itself. As a college lecture, "An Inconvenient Truth" is captivating,
educating, and informative. As a tool to reach a mass audience, "An
Inconvenient Truth" becomes monotonous, repetitive and self-indulgent.
Every time Gore reaches a point of appearing solely as an impassioned
activist, he tells a story, gives an example or makes another
statement reminding us that he is, in fact, a politician and this is
just the latest thing for which he's asking the American public to
vote.
When Gore shares that the near-death of his son at 6-years-old caused
him to intensify his efforts on global warming, I couldn't help but
sit there thing "Hmmm. If MY son nearly died I could see myself
becoming involved in children's issues, family issues, or maybe even
safety issues. But, global warming? Gore's contention was a pretty
magnificent and remarkably unconvincing stretch of melodrama.
The film works best, oddly enough, when it is Gore alone on-stage with
his pie charts, images, and occasionally goofy animation. Gore
presents global warming in, perhaps for the first time, a way that can
be understood by the general public and he clearly lays out the
causes, consequences and potential actions concerning global warming.
Gore's intelligence shines through, and his passion for the subject is
obvious and quite contagious.
Unlike other critics, many of whom seem to be bowing down at the feet
of Gore and director Guggenheim, I feel a responsibility to balance my
overall agreement and passion for Gore's message with an awareness
that Gore's film is basically preaching to the choir and, largely due
to political bias and the film's lack of rhythm or variation, "An
Inconvenient Truth" is unlikely to successfully reach a mass audience
and, most certainly, is slanted enough so as not to have a bipartisan
appeal.
"An Inconvenient Truth", essentially a marvelous college lecture, ends
up feeling like somewhat of a missed opportunity as a full-length
documentary for Gore in his admirable efforts to finally sway a
wishy-washy American public on the absolute necessity of doing
something now about global warming before we pass that point of no
return.
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© Written by Richard Propes -
Email Me! |
TC Candler's Comment
The most
important and educational film of 2006.
This should be mandatory viewing in every
college and high school in America. Al
Gore proves that he has become one of the most
engaging and heartfelt speakers in American
politics. I was literally riveted by what
is essentially just a 90 minute speech with
visual aids.
Jacob Hall's
Comment
I’ve always been on the fence about global
warming. I did not know what to believe, mainly
because no one had ever sat down and told me the
whole story. This documentary is essentially Al
Gore’s slide show about the subject put on film
and he does what I wish the news and the elected
politicians had made clear to me years ago. He
puts all of the evidence on the table and tells
us that the future is in our hands. It scared
the crap out of me, but is has convinced me to
look into the subject and do my part in the
future.
As another note, Gore is incredibly charismatic,
witty and involving here. He’s not the boring
Gore we saw in the 2000 elections. If he had
shown this determination and charisma six years
ago, he would have won the election in a
landslide.
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