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Movies / On DVD / No Impact Man
No Impact Man

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No Impact Man (2009)

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Reviews Counted:37

Fresh:33

Rotten:4

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: Half enviro-saving doc, half publicity stunt, No Impact Man is inspiring and fun to both casual activists and hardcore recyclers.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:Sep 11, 2009 Limited

Synopsis: Oscilloscope Laboratories announced today that it has acquired domestic distribution rights to Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein’s documentary, NO IMPACT MAN, a look at the personal fallout resulting... Oscilloscope Laboratories announced today that it has acquired domestic distribution rights to Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein’s documentary, NO IMPACT MAN, a look at the personal fallout resulting from one man’s decision to eliminate his family’s impact on the environment in downtown Manhattan. NO IMPACT MAN had its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and will screen at the SILVERDOCS film festival and the Los Angeles Film Festival this month. Oscilloscope will open the film in theaters on September 4th, 2009, with a DVD and digital release to follow.

Colin Beavan, author, and newly self-proclaimed environmentalist, decides to leave behind a life of liberal complacency for a vow to make zero environmental impact for one year. No more automated transportation, no more electricity, no more non-local food, no more material consumption…no problem. That is, until his espresso-guzzling, Prada-worshipping wife Michelle, and their young toddler, enter the fray. No Impact Man is an insightful and funny look at how one family deals with turning their lives upside down in the name of the planet. Gabbert and Schein’s film provides a front row seat into the familial strains and strengthened bonds that result from this radical lifestyle change.

Adam Yauch, head of Oscilloscope Laboratories said, “This film really got me. It's the first time I've seen an environmentally concerned film with a strong comedic element. I still think about it every time I go to the supermarket.”

The NO IMPACT MAN book, No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process will be published by Farrar, Straus, Giroux and is out in stores September 1st, 2009. A narrative feature film adaptation is currently in the works. --© Official Site [More]

Starring: Colin Beavan, Michelle Conlin

Starring: Colin Beavan, Michelle Conlin

Director: Laura Gabbert, Justin Schein

Director: Laura Gabbert, Justin Schein
Producer: Laura Gabbert, Eden Wurmfeld
Composer: Bobby Johnston
Studio: Oscilloscope Pictures

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Release:

Jan 19, 2010

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
  • Subtitles - English
 
 
 
 

Reviews for No Impact Man

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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what he and his family learned that they could do without and do without as a way of enriching their lives is both provocative and enviable

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/16/09
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

No Impact Man is certain to raise questions among viewers – questions about the Beavans, questions about ourselves, questions about degrees of sustainability. And asking questions is what it’s all about, isn’t it?

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/30/09
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

This curiosity piece should stimulate interesting conversations about the lessons learned from the viewing experience.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | comment Comment
10/16/09
Keith Cohen
Keith Cohen
Entertainment Spectrum

It’s kinda inspiring. It’s also very funny.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
10/15/09
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

Fortunately for the sake of documentary, Beavan is no humorless eco-scold, and he makes it clear that he's engaged in a lifestyle experiment, not recommending this extreme course for everyone.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
10/09/09
Marc Mohan
Marc Mohan
Oregonian

Beavan is nothing if not adept at selling himself.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
10/05/09
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

If this sounds like a stunt, it is. But it's tough to get a book contract these days.

Full Review Source: Playback:stl | comment Comment
10/02/09
Sarah Boslaugh
Sarah Boslaugh
Playback:stl

An interesting socio-analytical documentary that preaches valuable messages regarding global conservation. My problem is I wanted to shoot the film's pompous messenger.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Weekly | comment Comment
10/02/09
Sean O'Connell
Sean O'Connell
Charlotte Weekly

There's some food for thought to be gleaned from the film. It suggests a few small changes in our everyday lives that could make a big difference.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
10/01/09
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

No Impact Man is a very confused documentary that somehow puts its confusion to good use.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
10/01/09
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The real heat comes from Beavan's reluctant wife, Michelle Conlin, a self-proclaimed shopaholic and Starbucks poster girl.

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
09/30/09
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix

This poignant, provocative documentary reduces the green movement to human scale -- and magnifies the size of mountain it's trying to climb.

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
09/30/09
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The film ended and I went downstairs to see seven bags of trash in my kitchen. It was at that point, I felt I needed to change my living habits.

Full Review Source: BDK Reviews | comment Comment
09/26/09
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy
BDK Reviews

A strange yet riveting portrait of a marriage enduring a year spent making as little environmental impact as possible.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
09/24/09
Moira MacDonald
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times

Like reality TV, there are moments of drama that have an aura of awkward self-consciousness about them and incidents that feel, if not staged, at the very least orchestrated, amped up. But you have to hand it to Beavan and Conlin.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
09/24/09
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

We're a long way from algae-based biofuel, and until that day, maybe watching less crappy television and spending more times with your kids isn't such a bad idea.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
09/24/09
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

You won’t want to give up two-ply, but you might rethink buying salad in one of those unwieldy plastic boxes during your next trip to the grocery store.

Full Review Source: New York Press | comment Comment
09/23/09
Mark Peikert
Mark Peikert
New York Press

It may not be the greatest of cinematic exercises, and it often feels contrived, but this documentary somehow is enlightening, ridiculous, foreboding and funny at the same time.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
09/18/09
David Lewis
David Lewis
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It all seems like a stunt, especially since Beaven has also written a just-published book about his experiences, but he and Conlin are an engaging pair who don't let zealotry get in the way of humor.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
09/18/09
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

You may find Colin Beavan unbearably smug, but at the heart of his mission lies an inconvenient truth: Our consumable, disposable, unsustainable culture is destroying the planet, and there's no way to change that without making sacrifices.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
09/17/09
Dana Stevens
Dana Stevens
Slate
 
 
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