Or so I felt as I sunk into my seat during the closing credits of An Inconvenient Truth, a new documentary about global warming, starring the “guy who used to be the next President of the United States.” It’s hard to believe that a documentary that is comprised largely of footage of Gore giving an 80s-era powerpoint presentation can be so compelling. But the content he presents truly speaks for itself. The film is instructional in a way that borders on pedantic, yet manages to come across as clear, matter-a-fact, and motivating. It’s the kind of documentary that you wished you’d seen in science class, filled with Simpson-style animations, and off-the-cuff jabs at the current administration.  In fact, I’d venture to call it the Da Vinci Code of documentaries. Gore gives you a hint of what you’re about to see, poses a teasing question, and then lays it all out in pretty pie charts and graphics for your eyes to feast upon. Then you get to feel smart by thinking “wow, look how the rise in global temperature is directly correlated to the rise in C02 in the atmosphere…….he should hire ME!
I recommend that everyone see this movie. Because it’s one thing to know that global warming is a crisis, and to piece together information in artlcles that you read from time to time, but it’s quite another to have all of the chilling facts neatly sewn together. And while I did walk out of the film feeling globally deflated, I carried me with me the poignant message that political will IS a renewable resource.
[Of course, I must sneak in a quick criticism. As if the concept of polar bears drowning and coastal areas being buried under twenty inches of water isn't melodramatic enough, the filmmakers made sure to include dozens of pensive profiles and silhouettes of Gore staring out plane and car windows. They also couldn't get enough of "Gore at his laptop" or "Gore working on his powerpoint presentation.".....just in case we didn't quite GET that this was a serious issue, we had Gore's waxy facial expressions to show us the way. Don't get me wrong, the film was captivating, but it wouldnt have suffered from a small reduction in the cheeze factor.]

GO SEE IT! And bike to the theater!

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