By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Henriette Mantel | Steve Skrovan
Country: united_states
Year: 2007
Running time: 122
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492499/
Bruce says: “‘A reasonable man adapts himself to suit his environment. An unreasonable man persists in attempting to adapt his environment to suit himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.’ When George Bernard Shaw wrote these words he could not have had Ralph Nader in mind but it is hard to imagine a more perfect example of the unreasonable
man.
“In 1964 Nader was a young idealist who rapidly became a champion for the American consumer. Through shrewd and thorough investigations he unmasked the danger of vehicles on the road by proving safety had as much to do with how a car was made as how it was driven. Being whistle blowers or ‘hidden patriots’ was not always easy for the Nader team. Their lives were threatened and smear campaigns were launched against them. Nader won and received damages from General Motors for invasion of privacy after the auto giant had gone to great lengths stalking Nader and making his life difficult. Ironically the General Motors settlement became seed money for other Nader investigations.
“Today, almost every form of consumerism in America has a Nader connection. His work has created truth in labeling, has given the consumer the right to know the facts about products in the marketplace and has guaranteed the safety of countless objects that we use and buy. AN UNREASONABLE MAN captures the essence of Nader by examining these achievements. It
also spends equal time dealing with his vilification as a result of the Bush victory in the 2000 Florida election. The film features James Carville, Eric Altman and Tom Daschle, all of whom are eager to blame Gore’s defeat on Nader. Examining the other side of the coin, Todd Gitlin from the Columbia School of Journalism points out that all the other third party candidates on the 2000 Florida ballot also received more votes that the 537 differential between Bush and Gore. We seldom hear about that. Everyone
wants to hold Nader responsible.
“Nader claims his father would ask, ‘Are you learning to think or are you learning to believe?’ We know the answer. Nader sees
little difference in the Republican and Democratic parties. They both dance to the music of the lobbyists and corporations. He remains unapologetic about standing up to the two party system and demanding change. How history will treat Nader remains a mystery according to the many opinions offered on screen. Future generations may know him solely as The Spoiler. That
would be a sad legacy for a man who received more fan mail than the Beatles in his hey day. AN UNREASONABLE MAN does not teach us much that is new. An interesting portrait, nonetheless. 3.5 cats”