An Inconvenient Truth (2006) -vs- Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

Review by Bryce Zabel 

The Smackdown! Moore versus Gore. These two are documentaries from icons of the left on two of the biggest issues of our time: terrorism and global warming. Which one can be called the most effective?

The Challenger. Global warming is the subject of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" which is fresh off a warm welcome (sorry!) from Cannes and a hot reception (sorry, again!) from film critics now that it's in public release. It's the former Vice-President's slide-show come to life on film, and there's no doubt that it is effective in making the case that the time to act was yesterday. The only part that's odd is to see Gore as an outsider, given the fact that he's been an insider all his political life. 

"Mr. Gore, you and President Clinton ran the country for eight years, right?"

The Defending Champion. The War on Terrorism and George Bush's deceit is the topic of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" which was a critical darling of 2004. In fact, many Democrats secretly (and not so secretly) felt it would tip the election in favor of John Kerry. It did "fire up the base" as pundits like to say but it never reached critical mass with anybody who didn't already agree with Moore. I'm not defending Bush across-the-board but Moore's attack seemed over-reaching and over-wrought.

"Congressman, I am absolutely convinced that George Bush lied America into World War II."

The Scorecard. Michael Moore is an acquired taste, I guess, but I have just never acquired it. I think he's the biggest impediment to his own message because he's so obnoxious, so condescending to anyone who thinks differently than he does, and mostly because he twists the facts to his case even more than most documentarians. Al Gore benefits in his documentary from low expectations. We've been told that he's a charisma-challenged left-wing eco-terrorist. So when he, instead, turns out to be pleasant, charming, convincing and factual, it's such a twist that it makes the whole experience surprising. His facts do actually speak for themselves, and Gore is more than willing to just put them out there and let people think about them.

The Decision. This one is totally simple for me, it's "An Inconvenient Truth" in a first-round knock-out. Michael Moore failed in his mission to savage George Bush so much that voters would force the president from office in a humiliating electoral defeat. Al Gore, in contrast, seems to have hit his stride, as a person, as a politician and as an environmentalist. I wonder where this Gore disappeared to during the Clinton years and in the 2000 election, but that doesn't prevent me from welcoming him. His documentary is important and thoughtful and well-worth watching. If you have kids, take them, too.