Review of Examined Life (2008) by Focus P — 20 Apr 2009

Clever and well-made, with each philosopher in a different, more-or-less appropriate environment, featuring Cornel West's name-dropping/jive-talking, Peter Singer's reasonableness/decency, best of all Zizek boldly making the case against ecology and nature and for catastrophe and artificiality, and assorted less interesting/impressive others (namely one of Derrida's Judeo-American bitches in the beginning; multicultural/cosmopolitan Kwame Appiah unexceptionally arguing for cosmopolitanism; boring Martha Nussbaum; Michael Hardt making what must be the weakest possible case for revolution and democracy; and Judith Butler looking/laughing like a middle-aged male homeless heroin addict, talking with I think the film-maker's disabled sister).