An Inconvenient Truth
d. David Guggenheim, 2006
In David Guggenheim’s 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore introduces himself as the “former next president of the United States of America.” It’s an offhand remark, to be sure, but it does reveal why some people may be turned off by the film. Some may go as far as to suggest this is but a political campaign by a guy thinking of running for president in 2008. For most of the movie’s 100 minutes, Gore and Guggenheim do a good job in not straying too far from the subject of their film—an account of Gore’s slideshow presentation about global warming, which he claims to have showcased more than a thousand times in cities all around the world—but An Inconvenient Truth is hardly as urgent as a film like this needed to be, nor is it a comprehensive look at all the issues surrounding the global warming debate.
Instead, An Inconvenient Truth is a glossed-over look at a major environmental issue. Gore gives us fact after fact, some quite terrifying, but at times—such as the introductory cartoon illustrating the nature of global warming—the film can seem condescending and simple-minded.
The center of Gore’s argument—that carbon dioxide emissions are one of the causes for rising global temperatures—is sound, but when he gets too far into his own issue and arrogantly assumes he’s on the winning side, the film falters. For example, most of the time, he doesn’t cite sources; as the uninformed audience, we are to blindly accept everything he throws at us. Gore’s reasoning is in place—a fact made clear by the way he engages the live audience—but I just wish his argument was better constructed.
I’m the last person you’ll hear supporting documentary objectivity—one of the reasons I prefer quirky Errol Morris docs to PBS specials—but parts of An Inconvenient Truth do feel particularly awkward. When Gore starts talking about his son’s accident and his sister’s death from lung cancer, it distracts the viewer from the film’s purpose, which is not to generate sympathize with Al Gore, but with a larger cause: saving planet Earth.
The second problem lies in Gore’s can-do attitude. Clearly, the man is motivated and believes we can all do our share to prevent global warming, but for someone so enamored with mankind, his presentation is terribly one-sided. It fails to acknowledge legitimate skepticism about the global warming issue, including the effect of lowering carbon dioxide emissions versus focusing on demographics. Gore talks of tragedies and tragedies, emphasizing the effect global warming can have on developing nations, but he never strays away from his projected timetables to consider more immediate solutions: providing clean drinking water, basic sanitation, health care, and education for these same third-world countries.
The DVD includes two audio commentaries with the filmmakers, a making-of featurette, and, to top it off, a paper/cardboard sleeve case made from recycled materials replacing the plastic case normally used to house DVD’s.
I’ve spent some time attacking Gore’s and Guggenheim’s methods, but part of me feels An Inconvenient Truth is still worth recommending. If nothing else, it’s a clear argument for an environmentally-conscious way of life, which can only help our current situation. My major problem with the film comes from Gore’s larger aims. In the end, his presentation is quite informative and entertaining. As strange as it sounds, An Inconvenient Truth also gives the viewer a glimpse to what might have been. People criticize (and will continue to criticize) Gore, but could you imagine sitting through a 100-minute lecture by George W. Bush?
