An Inconvenient Truth Review

Former US Vice President Al Gore did not appear as advertised for an advance screening of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH in Dallas, Texas on Friday. It was described as an "unavoidable schedule conflict," but it felt a bit like a "bait 'n' switch" to get more people into the house. When I turned on the television 24 hours later and saw him make an unexpected feature appearance in the opening scene of "Saturday Night Live," I understood the conflict.

In a similar way, the trailer for AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH feels a bit like a "bait 'n' switch" to get as many people as possible to watch an educational presentation about global warming. It promises pulse-pounding excitement, "the most terrifying film you will ever see," but instead presents Gore's multi-media slide show about the environment in a straight-forward manner.

As a rallying cry for environmentalists and those already concerned about global warming, it may be quite effective. As a motivational tool to convince skeptics or to incite non-partisan action, it falls short.