Though maintaining the politically-requisite attitudes about global warming, Roger Friedman nevertheless gives a withering review of Leonardo DiCaprio's eco-flick, "The 11th Hour:"It's a good thing Leonardo DiCaprio made so much money from "Titanic" a decade ago.
His environmental documentary, "The 11th Hour," has been a total bust at the box office. After 18 days in release, the film has grossed only $417,913 from ticket sales. The 90-minute snore-fest is playing on 111 screens this week, but that number is likely to be reduced this Friday. The film will be sent to DVD heaven after that.
By comparison, Al Gore and Davis Guggenheim's similar but far more engaging "An Inconvenient Truth" had already made $3.5 million by its 18th day of release.
I hesitated to say before "11th Hour" actually opened how mind-numbingly dull it was for fear that I would ruin it for those interested in the subject of global warming. But at Cannes, when the film by Nadia Conners and Leila Conners Petersen was shown to journalists, nearly the entire room fell asleep. A Russian filmmaker told us afterward that she was the only person in the room who was awake at one point.
I can believe it. "The 11th Hour" is grindingly boring. Basically, a series of scientists, one after another, warn the audience that the world is coming to an end. These talking heads are interspersed with stock footage of melting glaciers. The film has the effect of Ambien — with no hangover post-nap...
And James Taranto adds, But this is good news for the environment. Just think of all the carbon dioxide people aren't emitting by driving to the theater to see it! "An Inconvenient Truth" has a much bigger carbon footprint. Friedman guesses that this is DiCaprio's "last foray into the documentary world." Maybe there is hope for the planet.
By the way, I must take a moment and urge you once again to become a regular visitor to Taranto's Best of the Web feature over on WSJ Online. It's wise, witty and full of wonderful wordplay. In fact, why not sign up for a free e-mail subscription to the feature as Terry Herring urged me to do? It was one of the best tips I've received all year.
