“An Inconvenient Truth”

By Andrew Smith
FlipSide film critic

“An Inconvenient Truth” is not a political film. I say this now, at the beginning, to eliminate any misconceptions that it is.

That it not only deals with the heavily-politicized issue of global warming but also stars former Vice President Al Gore would be enough to turn away a number of viewers from the get-go. I’m sure there are even people out there who will skip past this very article without even reading it, simply because of its subject matter.

There seems to be a commonly-held belief among members of all parties that global warming is a political issue. As you will discover through this film, it is not. Global warming is just what its name implies: a global problem.

Environmental issues know no political or national boundaries; it doesn’t matter what side of the political spectrum you fall on, what your beliefs are or where you live. Global warming and pollution are problems that affect not us as West Virginians or Americans, but as citizens of Earth.

Gore’s film exists not to point fingers or sling blame at those he deems responsible. The beauty of “An Inconvenient Truth” is its theme of shared responsibility and its nonpartisan, politically-neutral delivery. All of us as people have played a hand in the climate crisis that now faces the Earth; however, all of us can similarly play a hand in its healing.

I’ll admit, when I think of what makes for an interesting movie, the concept of Al Gore lecturing to a seated audience about the environment doesn’t exactly sound thrilling. And while it’s true that “An Inconvenient Truth” doesn’t provide the same cinematic experience that something like a Hollywood blockbuster does, it is far from boring.

Gore may not be the wacky entertainer that Bill Nye the Science Guy is, but his knowledge of and passion for the subject, coupled with photographs, video footage, cartoons and sound, irrefutable facts, are fascinating. I’m not sure how he manages to do it, but Gore pulls off the incredible balancing act of being both highly informative and entertaining.

It doesn’t matter what your personal convictions are. It doesn’t matter if you’re a member of the fundamentalist Christian right, a card-carrying ACLU member, a staunch libertarian or not political at all. If you are a human being — and if you are reading this, I’m assuming you are — you owe it to yourself to see this film.

I don’t often call seeing a movie a social responsibility, but this is an exception. “An Inconvenient Truth” is one of the most important films not only of 2006 but of our time.