# "An Inconvenient Truth" wins Oscar for best documentary **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 26, 2007, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inconvenient-truth-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary/393732 "2007-02-26T15:59:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inconvenient-truth-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary/393732/1 "2007-02-26T15:59:34Z")
Story [here.](http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=winterOlympics&storyID=2007-02-26T041815Z_01_N25221507_RTRUKOC_0_US-OSCARS-GORE1.xml) So whaddaya think? Did it deserve it or not? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inconvenient-truth-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary/393732/2 "2007-02-26T16:11:21Z")
That is a tough question, how many people on this board saw even two of the nominated documentaries? I would say of course it deserved it. It was well done, entertaining and provided a lot of information. It was a very important issue and worthy in my opinion. Of course it was the only nominated documentary that I saw. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inconvenient-truth-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary/393732/3 "2007-02-26T17:45:05Z")
I saw Jesus Camp as well. They were both very good, but I would have gone for AIT. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inconvenient-truth-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary/393732/4 "2007-02-26T17:53:17Z")
It wasn’t any big surprise: its popularity and message made it the obvious frontrunner (I’m surprised, actually, that people are surprised that Alan Arkin won: The oldest actor involved is always the frontrunner for Best Supporting Actor). ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inconvenient-truth-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary/393732/5 "2007-02-26T17:54:43Z")
It won because of its subject matter, its box office performance, and its association with Gore, not because of any larger artistic/aesthetic reasons. It’s not a bad movie (far from it), but compared to **Iraq in Fragments** of **Deliver Us from Evil** , which were much more incisive in execution and ambitious in scope, it’s nowhere in the same league (I hadn’t seen the other 2 nominees). Like recent winners _Bowling for Columbine_ and _March of the Penguins_ before it, the most popular film won, though in all 3 cases, it was nowhere near the best. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inconvenient-truth-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary/393732/6 "2007-02-26T17:55:26Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Story [here.](http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=winterOlympics&storyID=2007-02-26T041815Z_01_N25221507_RTRUKOC_0_US-OSCARS-GORE1.xml) So whaddaya think? Did it deserve it or not? [/QUOTE] Absolutely. I’m sure Jesus Camp was entertaining, “point and laugh at the Rubes” and all. But this documentary, as well as informing and entertaining, has already inspired changes. I really give it a lot of credit for how much discussion we’re FINALLY having about this issue. Unless we all just forget this stuff again, it could go down as the point in ecological history when America woke up. And, I’m not exaggerating. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inconvenient-truth-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary/393732/7 "2007-02-26T17:57:47Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] It wasn’t any big surprise: its popularity and message made it the obvious frontrunner (I’m surprised, actually, that people are surprised that Alan Arkin won: The oldest actor involved is always the frontrunner for Best Supporting Actor). [/QUOTE] Really. I took it as a given that _An Inconvenient Truth_ would win. It would have been surprising if something else had gotten the Oscar instead. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inconvenient-truth-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary/393732/8 "2007-02-26T18:13:17Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] Like recent winners _Bowling for Columbine_ and _March of the Penguins_ before it, the most popular film won, though in all 3 cases, it was nowhere near the best. [/QUOTE] I agree. Ever since _Loose Change_ got snubbed, I haven’t been paying any attention to the documentary Oscar. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inconvenient-truth-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary/393732/9 "2007-02-26T18:14:38Z")
I don’t think they run the documentaries until after the Academy Awards, do they? I liked _An Inconvenient Truth_, but I love documentaries, so I will reserve final judgement until I see some of the contenders. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inconvenient-truth-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary/393732/10 "2007-02-26T21:47:14Z")
[QUOTE=HubZilla] I agree. Ever since _Loose Change_ got snubbed, I haven’t been paying any attention to the documentary Oscar. [/QUOTE] Well, comedies never win at the Oscars anyways … I guess that means West Bank Story is a drama. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-inconvenient-truth-wins-oscar-for-best-documentary/393732/11 "2007-02-26T21:56:56Z")
[Relevant article from _The Nation._](http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?pid=169436)