a documentary film about discrepancy between darwinian evolution and intelligent design and focus on the kansas school board controversy of a few year ago . it a pretty good movie too . we get to know both side of the issue and nobody be demonize and nobody exalt . the graphic be entertain and the edit about as good a you can expect . randy olson and who make the film and narrate it and make some low key witty remark along the way . some documentary and whether good or bad in their own right and consist of so many talk head that you can listen to it from the next room and still follow the presentation . not this one . talk head abound but so do cartoon and travelogue like on location shooting . olson himself be an evolutionary biologist who study at harvard and do research on change in coral community . he a sharp guy and and he pleasant and polite and and when he negative about something it in a gently ironic way . but do not expect a movie about evolution . it about the nature of two pretty much antagonistic group and the conflict between their belief system . the debate be important because it be evidently not go to go away by itself . these be existential proposition be examine and not hortative . what i mean be that this be a debate over what be and not over what ought to be . it not a symbolic issue like have the ten commandment in a courthouse or have a state flag that resemble the confederate star and bar or whether or not film that show a lot of smoke should get an r rating . the argument be about whether something exists or not and and that a different order of argument . olson be clearly on the side of the evolutionist but he not a zealot . he criticize them ( or allow them to criticize themselves ) for be too snooty to present their case to common people in common sense term and whereas the id side hire the discovery institute to invent appeal bumper sticker slogan like teach the controversy . the same public relation outfit develop the swiftboat ad that torpedo kerry run for the presidency . the anti evolutionists also seem to be cohesive and highly organize and and well fund . theyre good at what they do and and the evolutionist be mostly aloof and indignant and arrogant and abrasive and disputatious and and sometimes kind of snotty with one another . in other word dare i say this . the id people look like republican and the evolutionist look like democrat . actually and teach the controversy isn not a bad idea per se . why not . only i would stipulate and a an ex prof and that it belong in a senior seminar organize around philosophical or scientific controversy copernicus and all that . i can not see both view be give equal weight in biology class because and if darwinian evolution be only a theory and a the id people argue and then intelligent design hasn not yet clear even that bar . the film be at time a little irritating . it okay when the film maker insert himself into his work a narrator . michael moore do it entertainingly and numerous others and such a milton friedman and have walk u through scientific argument in tv series . but olson movie be a little self congratulatory . i have to wince once in a while a the auteur explain that his father be a graduate of west point in the year of hero and his mother ( muffy moose ) be a relative of general george c. marshall or somebody and they both know general douglas macarthur on corregidor and well and and so forth . not to say anything against olson mother . she savvy and keenly intelligent and and engage . i just do not think we need to know that she be a model . and the film be inform with a subtle elitism . eight evolutionist be gather together by olson to play poker and talk about biology and we get the title card not only be they all phds but we get a list of the school they attend . ( mostly harvard . ) phd be introduce to each other a doctor and which doesn not happen except on film . that carp and though . the film virtue a an exploration of a controversy that simply will not go away far outweigh any weakness it might have . well and maybe i should add that not only do the theological interpretation of evolution refuse to disappear and but lot of public figure be obviously afraid to challenge it . one third of the american public do not believe in evolution . president bush have argue publicly that both side should be teach in school . and at the recent debate between republican presidential candidate and one of the question be and who do not believe in evolution and and three out of ten hand go up .