Review of 2016: Obama's America (2012) by Kyle O — 15 Oct 2012

It's better than the liberals say it is, but it is not nearly as good as the conservatives say it is. The first half of the film offers a pretty good insight into Obama's early life and is based off of his memoir, Dreams From My Father. This portion of the film plays it pretty straight. Anyone who has not read Obama's memoirs or wants to learn about his early life would benefit from this portion of the film and it tends to stay away from getting too political.

The overall theory of the film is a little weak. It's based on some evidence, but mostly it's speculation. Personally, I don't buy the story that Obama has an anti-colonialism agenda to weaken America's power and orchestrate a global redistribution of wealth. His policies might (at times) seem to point that way, but I believe it's because he's doing what he thinks is best for America, not because he has some agenda built into his DNA from his father or from his earlier life and views as a college student.

Overall, it's a decently made film. You won't find any Michael Moore style editing tricks which is refreshing. The film presents facts and then from those facts draws a speculative conclusion. Whether or not you believe that conclusion is up to you, but it should at least get you thinking. And it is worth a watch; I think too many people are chalking it up as propaganda and avoiding it, but even Obama supporters should enjoy most of the biographical first half of the film and gain at least some insight with the second half.

For whatever it's worth, I went into the film planning on voting for the Libertarian candidate (Gary Johnson) in the upcoming election and still plan on doing so. I'm not sure this film will change many minds in that aspect...