Review of Greedy Lying Bastards (2013) by Glenn G — 24 Mar 2013

Inserting oneself into one's own documentary is no easy task. Michael Moore and Nick Broomfield do it masterfully because they understand that their point of view is THE draw. How will Moore take on THE MAN this time? What misery will Broomfield encounter in trying to gain access to his subject? The point is, unless you've got a singular voice, it's best to stay clear of your own narrative. This is a lesson Craig Scott Rosebraugh should have learned when taking on GREEDY LYING BASTARDS, a compelling yet too-often bland exploration of the great climate change debate.

The topic is simple enough. Those who deny that Global Warming exists are the villains and Al Gore and company are the Second Coming. Didn't we know all of that already from AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH? Regardless, I applaud anyone trying to make sense out of the mess we're in, but a little cinematic flair wouldn't have killed anyone, right? Instead, we get Rosebraugh's stilted voiceovers, power point presentation graphics, and a lot of finger pointing at some rich, powerful snobs. Whenever Rosebraugh tries to become part of the story, by, shocker, making phone calls (gasp!), the seams start to show, the yawns start forming, and I prayed for an overweight, baseball-hatted Michigan man to come to the rescue and create a hailstorm on one of these Yale Alum's McMansions.

His interviews with locals who have suffered through fires and floods make Honey Boo Boo look like Stephen Hawkings. All that's missing is a DELIVERANCE banjo and some hot, squealy piggy sex. It's sad, lacks focus, and is didactic one minute and begging for tears the next. It's a hot, unnatural mess strangely enough about our natural mess. Not else much to say here. You know the debate. It's one of the most essential topics of our lives, so fer chrissakes, dude, don't bore the sh*t out of us in the telling! And seriously with that hideous Death Metal end credits song? UGH!