Al Gore upstages Global Warming

By Sheerly Avni

To borrow a metaphor from "An Inconvenient Truth," the new horror movie starring Planet Earth and Al Gore: If a frog jumps into boiling water, he jumps right out. If the water heats up just one degree at a time, the frog stays in and distracts himself from the heat. In the case of "An Inconvenient Truth," that distraction would seem to be trying to guess whether or not Gore will run for President in 2008.

In reviews, articles and premiere party coverage, the mainstream media seem only to care about whether they can again claim Ozone Man as their shining white knight, not whether we're provoking pestilence, devastating droughts and storms that will make Katrina look like a summer shower. It appears Mr. Gore has upstaged his co-star. If this were a Hollywood feature film, it's not clear at all that she would even warrant third-billing.

The film's reviews are perfumed with this collective sigh of wishful thinking, as if history could be rewritten and the Dems could win in 2000, and erase the Bush years. The New York Times A.O. Scott didn't really assess the movie's environmental themes until paragraph 5 (out of 7). The Los Angeles Times waits until paragraph 9 (out of 12).

The Village Voice? Rob Nelson was so busy smearing Gore's "almost pharmaceutical calm" (not a fan, this one) that he didn't engage the real subject at all. Which is too bad, since the movie's message is clearly, unequivocally, HOLY SHIT WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE.

This weekend, as the film broke boxoffice records for a documentary, Gore denied any political aspirations to The New York Times.

"Stop covering politics," he scolded The Times' Adam Nagourney. "Cover the climate crisis. It is not too late!"

Gore's exhortation to The Times is interesting since his documentary carries more than enough campaign video fare to raise a skeptical eyebrow: Al carrying his own luggage; Al alone, walking out Rocky-style into the floodlights; Al in college, looking handsome and chiseled and reminding us that he was once one of People Magazine's "Sexiest Men in America"; and finally, lots of thoughtful interludes accompanied by sentimentally tinkling piano keys.

It's an uncomfortable reminder of Gore 2000, as if he couldn't decide whether or not he wanted to make a global warming movie or a campaign movie.

But maybe it should be both. After all, if the planet needs saving as badly as it seems to � and it does � wouldn't it be irresponsible of Gore not to run? Isn't this a job for Ozone Man?

Al Gore upstages Global Warming

By Sheerly Avni

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