1) Today, the name Ralph Nader is more likely to evoke anger than affection in the minds of Bush-bashing liberal Americans. Following Al Gore’s loss in the 2000 presidential election, Nader became a scapegoat for the problematic eight-year reign of W-and perhaps rightly so.
2) With An Unreasonable Man, documentary filmmakers/friends of Nader, Henriette Mantel and Steve Skrovan, aim to set the record straight and remind the public of just how great a man Nader once was.
3) While the first half of the film outlines his heroic early efforts to overcome big business and fight for consumer rights, the second hour focuses primarily on Nader’s post-2000 fall from liberal grace.
4) The film strives to be impartial, but it still ends up provoking more empathy than disdain for the man many have blamed for killing third-party politics.
5) With the next race for the White House looming, An Unreasonable Man may be just the piece of well-crafted, entertaining propaganda that gets Nader back in the game.
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An Unreasonable Man screens at UCSB’s Campbell Hall on Wednesday, August 8, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 general and $5 for students.