bbowens Watching this, I realized that I hadn't come to a hard conclusion on the "Nader effect on the election" debate. This movie presented that aspect of Nader's career in a comprehensive and balanced way. Although I tended to feel that Gore should have won the 2000 election by a landslide, and that it never should have come down to vote counting in one state, this movie really had me wavering until it became obvious that trying to blame Nader for Gore's loss (and arguably, ours) is like blaming the umpire in baseball if your team loses-- if it comes down to that, then you just haven't done your job.So, hat's off to Ralph-- there just aren't enough people like him.

eternalbadluckcharm Early in this film, Phil Donahue says "there's a Shakespearan feature to all of this", and he is right on the money. This brilliant film from the former producer of Everybody Loves Raymond examines the life of Ralph Nader, hearing from his favorite admirers...and his admirers who turned into his harshest critics(Eric Alterman: "I think the man needs to live in a different country. He's done enough damage to this one, let him damage someone else's for a while").Nader had a massive impact on our lives, from seat belts to the Freedom of Information Act to product labeling to OSHA, no one in America has been left untouched by Nader's legacy. With amazing archival footage and on camera interviews, this film portrays how a once hero of the left, who appeared on the cover of Newsweek wearing a suit of armor, became the Democrats favorite bunching bag for costing Al Gore the election.The filmmakers do not pull any punches, as they examine the line between idealism and pragmatism and how far one should allow their political party to get worse before taking action. They also examine how one man could make a remarkable difference in the world.Nader was undoubtedly the most important private citizen of the 20th century. As the 21st century progresses along, the debate will be, Ralph Nader: Spoiler or Hero?

dbborroughs This is a warts and all look at Nader's career from when he was pushing for auto safety through his Presidential runs. This is an interesting look at the man and his passion to do what he felt was right. He changed the country and the world for the better and made things much more safer for all of us. An uncompromising fellow, Nader my way or the highway stances lost him friends when some of his "raiders" went into politics in the Carter Administration and didn't do what he felt was right. More recently Democrats who needed a scapegoat. blame him for the election and re-election of George W Bush (Which is probably true on some level). Big Business of course hates his guts. Watching the film I still find that I admire the man, however I don't necessarily like him, his pit bull mentality seems to have created the sort of fellow you'd want to punch in the face occasionally just because its probably the only way to make him listen.For those who want to see who the last four decades of "consumer" issues have played out this is must see TV, for anyone else who simply wants to spend time with a real character are also encouraged to take a look see.

jogaun "An Unreasonable Man" argues quite persuasively that Nader did the right thing when he refused to drop out of the two most recent US Presidential races. I left feeling completely enamored of Nader the man. However, I would be loath to see the film again due to A) the cheesy, manipulative, "propaganda"-screaming background music and B) the amount of time spent on vile 50-something talking heads with no camera appeal; the film could have been 45 minutes shorter at LEAST. Other than that, it was fine! A very informative biography of a guy who possesses a great deal of personal consistency and integrity. This reviewer urges the filmmakers to post a 60-minute, musical-diarrhea-less version on YouTube.