MoveOn: The Movie

Even those who disagree with what MoveOn.org stands for (or, while sympathetic to their cause, think the activist group's in-your-face methods are counterproductive) should find this documentary worth watching. Although highly positive (intended for recruitment as much as anything else), MoveOn: The Movie does provide a solid history of the organization from its founding in 1998 up through the 2008 presidential election. The film combines behind-the-scenes footage shot over a six-year period by director Alex Jordanov, together with interviews of founders Wes Boyd, Joan Blades, and other MoveOn.org executives, as well as public figures including Henry Waxman, John Kerry, and Al Gore. Predictably, the opinions offered are strongly (even effusively) favorable, with dissenting voices appearing almost exclusively in the form of broadcast clips from conservative-leaning sources such as Fox News. Not surprisingly then, the controversial “Petraeus or Betray Us” ad campaign receives rather short shrift, and no mention is made of any possible disappointment over the policies of the president whom MoveOn.org worked so hard to elect in 2008. But love it or hate it, MoveOn.org is definitely a power player among today's advocacy groups, and this program provides an enlightening glimpse of how both its leaders and ordinary volunteers see themselves and their work. DVD extras include full versions of the interviews with Gore and Kerry. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)