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Movies / On DVD / Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

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Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008)

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Reviews Counted:41

Fresh:4

Rotten:37

Average Rating:2.9/10

Consensus: Full of patronizing, poorly structured arguments, Expelled is a cynical political stunt in the guise of a documentary.

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Synopsis: Though Ben Stein is perhaps most famous for his sleep-inducing drone in FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF or for his eponymous game show, he is also a highly regarded New York Times columnist and was a... Though Ben Stein is perhaps most famous for his sleep-inducing drone in FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF or for his eponymous game show, he is also a highly regarded New York Times columnist and was a speechwriter for both Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford during their presidencies. For EXPELLED: NO INTELLIGENCE ALLOWED, he needs all his powers of persuasion as he calls attention to the plight of exiled scientists and professors. In this documentary, Stein travels the world and speaks to men and women who have lost their jobs and their standings in the scientific world because of their association with intelligent design. EXPELLED uses the Berlin Wall as a metaphor and asserts that these people have been unjustly ousted, merely for speaking their minds. It carefully explains the differences between creationism and intelligent design and demonstrates that the latter is a belief held by people of all deity-based faiths, not just Christianity. It also devotes time to the connections between Darwinism and Hitler's regime. The film's climax features Stein going head-to-head with Richard Dawkins, a renowned atheist and author of the bestseller THE GOD DELUSION. Obviously, neither man budges in his firmly held beliefs, but it's fascinating to watch a debate between two undeniably intelligent men, regardless of whose side you're on. EXPELLED doesn't spend most of its time debating intelligent design and evolution. Instead it focuses largely on how the debate itself and its proponents have been ignored or pushed out of classrooms and academia. Filmmaker Nathan Frankowski inserts both original animations and clips of famous films (including PLANET OF THE APES and THE WIZARD OF OZ) to further illustrate his point. Though critics may find fault with EXPELLED for its one-sidedness, it's no more biased than any of Michael Moore's critically lauded documentaries. [More]

Starring: Richard Dawkins

Starring: Richard Dawkins

Director: Nathan Frankowski

Director: Nathan Frankowski
Screenwriter: Kevin Miller, Walt Ruloff, Ben Stein
Producer: Logan Craft, Walt Ruloff, John Sullivan
Composer: Andy Hunter, Robbie Bronnimann
Studio: Rocky Mountain Pictures

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Reviews for Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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The filmmakers' intentions are kept deliberately vague but it's a surprisingly entertaining and informative doc that at least tries to address the debate over 'intelligent design' from another angle.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment 11 Comments
04/16/08
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

The film shows that Intelligent Design should be on the table for discussion. But if you're looking for ammo to argue your Darwinist friends under the table, look elsewhere.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment 15 Comments
04/18/08
Mark Moring
Mark Moring
Christianity Today

Despite some occasionally sloppy filmmaking, I think the picture is worth a look. It raises important ideas and issues, asks important questions. No one could argue against that, right? Bueller...Bueller...Bueller...

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment 6 Comments
11/03/08
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

Manages to be flippant and darkly provocative at once.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment 18 Comments
04/21/08
Rex Roberts
Rex Roberts
Film Journal International

Regardless of your personal views, Expelled's heavy-handed bias (a visit to Darwin's home gets the same eerie music as a tour of Dachau) is exasperating.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
04/24/08
Adam Markovitz
Adam Markovitz
Entertainment Weekly

[T]he No. 1 agenda [here] has much less to do with academic freedom than with political ideology.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
04/16/08
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

Might there be a way to get to God through science? It's a fascinating notion and I wish the slickly produced Expelled investigated it more thoroughly.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
04/25/08
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

This is propaganda, a political rant disguised as a serious commentary on stifled freedom of inquiry.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment 8 Comments
04/18/08
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

No intelligence allowed, indeed, as Ben Stein misguidedly crusades against what he perceives as the science community’s slavish devotion to natural selection.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
04/17/08
Drew Toal
Drew Toal
Time Out New York

I don't say the film is crap because I disagree with it. I say it's crap because it disagrees with itself. It teems with contradictions, false dichotomies, and specious reasoning.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment 8 Comments
04/21/08
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

This documentary purporting to examine the issue of freedom of expression in the debate between the competing arguments of 'intelligent design' and Darwinism squanders the potential fascination of its topic with its simplistic, heavy-handed approach.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
04/21/08
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The prospect of a pro-Intelligent Design documentary sounded so batsh** crazy,it had to be awesome, watching intellectuals spin a story about how they're persecuted for their beliefs.Not to say I didn't give it a fair chance,but they made it really easy.

Full Review Source: Can Magazine | comment 3 Comments
04/18/08
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
Can Magazine

Like Moore, whose documentary-cum-polemical style they are clearly imitating, the makers of Expelled give their critics too much ammunition, so even if you're sympathetic to some of the ideas and the underlying argument, it is still difficult to defend.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
10/18/08
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

One of the sleaziest documentaries to arrive in a very long time, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is a conspiracy-theory rant masquerading as investigative inquiry.

comment 9 Comments
04/18/08
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The man made famous by Ferris Bueller, however, quickly wades into waters far too deep for him.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment 9 Comments
04/15/08
Jeffrey Kluger
Jeffrey Kluger
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie is unpersuasive, but it's amusing...

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment 1 Comment
04/28/08
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

If someone believes in the Tooth Fairy, can they complain about not being taken seriously at dental school?

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
06/27/08
Jim Slotek
Jim Slotek
Jam! Movies

Stein's schlumpy presence is disarming, though his know-it-all nature is at odds with his free-speech posing.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment 3 Comments
04/18/08
Joe Neumaier
Joe Neumaier
New York Daily News

Expelled may prove to be as controversial as the producers hope, but the reactions will be more entertaining and elucidating than the film itself.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
04/18/08
John P. McCarthy
John P. McCarthy
Boxoffice Magazine

"...raises some interesting questions about evolutionary theory, but does so in such a smug, disingenuous and self-serving manner it's hard to take the movie seriously.

Full Review Source: LarsenOnFilm | comment Comment
04/18/08
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
 
 
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