Merchants of Doubt

Documentarian Robert Kenner (Food, Inc.) treats viewers to an often maddening, often whimsical, and ultimately illuminating look at the art of spin doctoring in his latest picture Merchants of Doubt. Inspired by the 2010 book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, the film lays out with clear specificity the ways in which big business, politicians, and other interested parties use charismatic pundits and discredited studies to spread confusion and uncertainty about well-known threats to public health. Coalescing around climate change deniers and drawing striking parallels between their tactics and those of the tobacco industry’s former mouthpieces—many of whom are the very same folks— Merchants of Doubt makes a compelling case for all members of Western societies to do their due diligence before accepting that someone who looks and talks like an expert really is one.

Kenner doesn’t resort to the common gimmicks of contemporary issue docs (I saw no Simpsons clips used to illustrate a point). Instead he lines up an impressive roster of interview subjects, some the very Merchants of his title. The film paints these men (surprise, they’re all men) as intriguing if infuriating, and we get to see that there’s often more than money motivating some of them (though not much more). The 96-minute running time is sufficient to cover all the film’s many points clearly and informatively, and Kenner structures it well. 

Unfortunately, movies like this don’t have the kind of impact they use to. One of the downsides of filmmaking getting cheaper and easier is that there are literally hundreds of documentaries out there muddling the debate on every issue. All this competing information and spin is, of course, exactly what Merchants of Doubt explores, but most of the people who will actually go to this movie will already be aware of much of what it covers. And those who might learn something from the film won’t see it or won’t accept its conclusions. I blame Michael Moore for destroying the credibility of political documentaries in the eyes of audiences. Fahrenheit 9/11 and much of his other incendiary, one-sided, infotainment opened the door for advocacy groups like Citizens United to pass off unabashed, misleading propaganda as legitimate documentary. Thus, even a film as straight up and seemingly unimpeachable as Merchants of Doubt is easily dismissed.