An Unreasonable Man

An Unreasonable Man
Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by	Henriette Mantel Steve Skrovan
Produced by	Kevin O'Donnell
Starring	Ralph Nader Pat Buchanan Phil Donahue William Greider Eric Alterman James Ridgeway
Cinematography	Mark Raker
Edited by	Beth Gallagher Alexis Provost
Distributed by	IFC Films
Release date	January 24, 2006 (2006-01-24) (Sundance) 000000002007-01-31-0000January 31, 2007
Running time	122 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

An Unreasonable Man is a 2006 documentary film that traces the life and career of political activist Ralph Nader, the founder of modern consumer protection in America and perennial presidential candidate. The film was created to defend Nader and restore his reputation after his controversial role in the 2000 U.S. presidential election

The film presents interviews with current and former members of Nader's Raiders, including Joan Claybrook and Robert Fellmeth, as well as politicians and political analysts such as Phil Donahue, Pat Buchanan, and Eric Alterman. The film takes its name from the George Bernard Shaw quote, "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

Summary

The first half of the film examines Nader's advocacy for auto safety features, such as federally mandated seat belts and air bags, as well as his rise to national prominence following an invasion of privacy lawsuit against General Motors. It also examines the formation of independent advocacy groups (termed "Nader's Raiders") during the 1970s; organizations which carried out independent research on various federal agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration. Over the next thirty years, the film argues, Nader "built a legislative record that would be the envy of any modern president."

The second half of the film traces Nader's shift to a grassroots form of organizing focused on citizen power, including his disillusionment with the two-party system following the rise of Reaganism. In assessing Nader's effect as a third party candidate, the film examines Nader's role as a spoiler in the 2000 presidential election.

Response

The documentary has an aggregate of 92% (54/59) on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 75% on Metacritic.^[1]^[2]

Festival screenings

Meaford International Film Festival 2007
Sundance Film Festival

Notes

External links

Ralph Nader
Family	Rose Nader Claire Nader Laura Nader Shafeek Nader
Books authored	Unsafe at Any Speed Action for a Change Crashing the Party Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us! Unstoppable: The Emerging Left–Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State
Political campaigns	Campaign for 1992 presidential election Campaign for 1996 presidential election Campaign for 2000 presidential election Campaign for 2004 presidential election Campaign for 2008 presidential election
Organizations	Public Citizen Critical Mass Energy Project Knowledge Ecology International Public Interest Research Group Center for Auto Safety Connecticut Citizen Action Group Essential Information Princeton Project 55 Appleseed Foundation Democracy Rising American Antitrust Institute Commercial Alert
Other	An Unreasonable Man Concord Principles American Museum of Tort Law The Chemical Feast introduction
Media

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