For all of its rhetoric, the film only manages to restate the obvious, as characters bandy about all-too-familiar terms (“fear mongering,” “axis of evil,” etc.). We have seen smarmy Republican senators, journalistic pawns, and lazy-though-promising affluent white kids countless times before. Do politicians and journalists mislead the American public? Of course. Does the current war bare myriad resemblances to Vietnam? Obviously. Do “the men in the air-conditioned rooms” make self-motivated decisions? Ibid. These issues matter more now than ever, but cinematically – at least in this case – they fall flat. The setup screams play, but doesn't have the verbal aptitude to back it up. For fresh, intriguing, and accessible political commentary, watch The Daily Show instead. -S.T.