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Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
EMAILPRINTRocky Mountain Pictures
Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 13 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 171 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Documentary
Written by:
Kevin Miller
Walt Ruloff
Ben Stein
Directed by: Nathan Frankowski
Release Date:
Theatrical: April 18, 2008
DVD: October 21, 2008
Running Time: 90 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG for thematic material, some disturbing images and brief smoking
Starring Ben Stein, and Jason Collett
Ben Stein travels the world on his quest and learns an awe-inspiring truth that bewilders him, then angers him, and then spurs him to action! His heroic and at times shocking journey confronting the world's top scientists, educators, and philosophers underscores the persecution of the many by an elite few regarding the rejection of Darwinism. Ben realizes that he has been "expelled," and that educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure, and even fired--for the "crime" of merely believing that there might be evidence of "design" in nature, and that perhaps life is not just the result of accidental, random chance. (Rocky Mountain Pictures)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Variety Justin Chang
While roving interviewer Ben Stein extracts some choice soundbites from scientists on both sides of the creation-vs.-evolution debate, the film's flippant approach undermines the seriousness of its discourse, trading less in facts than in emotional appeals.
Read Full Review >New York Post Kyle Smith
It puts a conservative twist on Michael Moore-ism, with campy stock footage, deadpan humor, mocking musical cues and less-than-ingenuous questions.
Read Full Review >USA Today Claudia Puig
While he gets points for addressing the debate, the way in which Stein goes about it undermines his efforts to be even-handed and intellectually rigorous.
TV Guide Ken Fox
It's hard to pinpoint what's most insulting about this obvious propaganda piece.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis
Expelled is an unprincipled propaganda piece that insults believers and nonbelievers alike.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Mark Olsen
As a work of nonfiction filmmaking it is a sham and as agitprop it is too flimsy to strike any serious blows.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck
Managing to make the films of Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock look like dry, scholarly treatises by comparison, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed more than lives up to its subtitle.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Reece Pendleton
A straightforward account of the debate between evolutionists and ID proponents might have been both entertaining and enlightening; instead this follows the avuncular Ben Stein (who cowrote the movie) as he jet-sets around the globe trying to prove that a cabal of Darwinians has conspired to destroy academic freedom.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Adam Markovitz
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.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Joe Neumaier
Stein's schlumpy presence is disarming, though his know-it-all nature is at odds with his free-speech posing.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Steven Hyden
Surely there's a more nuanced argument to be made in favor of ID than pinning the old "bad as Hitler" canard on pro-evolution scientists?
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Make Ben Stein some more money (and get a good, mordant chuckle while you're at it) by checking out this loopy, factually befuddled documentary that should manage the not-inconsiderable feat of insulting Christians, Jews, Muslims, and those nutty sci-guys who go in for Darwin by way of bad teeth and Einsteinian hair styles.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 3.6 (out of 10) based on 171 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Scott L gave it a1:
Stein completely lost the plot here within the first 30 minutes. Once he went from a rather interpreting and well-thought out discussion of I.D. versus Darwinian evolution to attacking the scientific community the "documentary" lost all credibility. Intelligent design is not science, it cannot be tested even if there was a hypothesis in there to test. I sure wouldn't want my tuition and taxes going to grants to pay for these academics' experiments. Stein raised some good points then dropped them before really getting to the point where there's enough meat for people digest. Skip this if you're looking for a balanced discussion of the ID/Darwin debate.
Craig B gave it a10:
Great subject matter, wry humour, thought provoking, entertaining and fair/balanced treatment, a breath of fresh air ...no wonder the film is doing so well despite the '0' reviewers. Well worth watching.
Jeff C gave it a0:
I just love these comments from religious zealots thinking that the media has some kind of conspiracy against intelligent design. Let me take a moment and describe what you're arguing here. Intelligent design is simply not science. It is not testable. You can't do an experiment to test for the presence of God, or some designer of the universe. The idea is laughable. Also, this is not some squelching of free speech. Science doesn't care about opinions, it cares about what is TRUE. This argument is the same as saying "I think that grasshoppers make rainbows happen. You should teach this theory too, it's only fair." And now you wonder why a scientist would get fired for such a thing. It's not a conspiracy, it's a weak theory that ruins the scientific credibility of anyone that supports it. All of intelligent design is an attempt to include religion in the science classroom. Don't believe me? Name me one supporter of intelligent design that isn't a Christian. Anyone that supports this crackpot theory is biased by faith and has absolutely no interest in what is actually true or not.
Pete H gave it a0:
A toe curling farce made by and for Americans preying on the already existing delusions of this religiously sick country. While the rest of the world sits face-palmed as it watches grown men and women tackle a debate which hasn't seen any new argument presented by the Bible literalists since close to 150 years, professional ignoramus Ben Stein fills his pockets while he tries not to chuckle. ID is an idea which is simply not supported by any scientific data (nor could it be in the manner in which it is approached by the likes of the Discovery Institute!)and therefore doesn't qualify to even begin to rank with any scientific theory. Stein knows this all too well. 'Cause if this was not the case, ID would have been a scientific theory and ID would probably be a subset of the theory of evolution or the other way around. Unless of course you'd be willing to accept a mass global conspiracy probably set up by the Christian God himself placing fossils all over the globe, having a field day with manipulating DNA and removing His signature from everything we can examine from His creation while he twirls his moustache. Well, if you're really that gullible, please enrich yourself with this Bensteinian mockery. Spread the good word in reviews about how well this documentary was made, how eye-opening it is and how so terribly thought provoking it turned out to be. If you can't even tell this shoddy documentary apart from well made ones in which there was no need for quote mines, lies, misdirection, stolen CGI, shoddy editing and general bad taste, then how could anyone expect you to see beyond the hopelessly outdated ideas about reality that religion has succeeded to hardwire into your brain. The movie 'Lose Change' about the conspiracy concerning 9-11 at least managed to build a nice house of cards before it let it crash into its own ground zero. proponents of ID have yet to come up with a single verifiable fact that is actually in favour of the idea (and not presenting a case for it by kicking against some other concept). This is why you won't find said arguments in this 'Documentary' by Stein. And this fact alone makes this 'movie' fail beyond words or comprehension because it is the major part of its premise. I recommend this film to no one, not even to see Stein further the caricature of the ignorant and uneducated Jesus-fed American and see him make an absolute fool out of the part of the American public who actually support some intelligent notion of ID in stead of the urge to let in any random idea we could have about whatever (a flat earth, a green cheese moon) into the scientific arena without having to show anything for it besides some well polished lies, some quote mines and well funded yet nonexistent research. Perhaps I could recommend it to those who want to see a modern propaganda piece to understand how not to make it. Stein should not have visited Europe to make this film, he should have paid a visit to North Korea in stead.
carl j gave it a0:
Ben Stein, you hosted a TV show on which you gave away money. Imagine that I have created a special edition of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" just for you. Ben, you've answered all the earlier questions correctly, and now you're up for the $1 million prize. It involves an explanation for the evolution of life on this planet. You have already exercised your option to throw away two of the wrong answers. Now you are faced with two choices: (A) Darwin's Theory of Evolution, or (B) Intelligent Design. Because this is a special edition of the program, you can use a Hotline to telephone every scientist on Earth who has an opinion on this question. You discover that 99.975 of them agree on the answer (A). A million bucks hangs in the balance. The clock is ticking. You could use the money. Which do you choose? You, a firm believer in the Constitution, are not intimidated and exercise your freedom of speech. You choose (B). Squaaawk!!! The klaxon horn sounds. You have lost. Outraged, you file suit against the program, charging it is biased and has denied a hearing for your belief. Your suit argues that the "correct" answer was chosen because of a prejudice against the theory of Intelligent Design, despite the fact that .025 of one percent of all scientists support it. You call for (B) to be discussed in schools as an alternative theory to (A). Your rights have been violated. You're at wit's end. You think perhaps the field of Indie Documentaries offers you hope. You accept a position at the Institute of Undocumented Documentaries in Dallas, Texas. This Institute teaches that the rules of the "$64,000 Question" are the only valid game show rules. All later game shows must follow them literally. The "$64,000 Question" came into existence in 1955. False evidence for earlier game shows has been refuted by scientists at the Institute.
Charlie B gave it a0:
This movie attempts to blame the Holocaust and WWII on the theory of evolution. Honestly, this is one of the most absurd arguments I've ever heard in my life, yet it remains as the movie's main theme from the very start to the very end. Even if it were true that the theory of evolution caused WWII (which it obviously did not) that doesn't necessarily mean the theory is incorrect. This is the most hardcore piece of republican propaganda I have ever seen. If you have a proper high school diploma, this movie is sure to insult your intelligence.
Timmy M gave it a0:
First off, Mr Pink, I hate to give you a history lesson, but your comments about Hitler are completely off. While he did mandate and promote religion in some aspects, he did so in a deal with the papacy which dissolved their present Catholic political party in Germany - he was only consolidating power. Hitler hated the church thoroughly. As for the film itself, anyone who has taken undergraduate philosophy and/or has a rudimentary grasp of scientific logic should not be convinced of the viability of Intelligent Design. Though stifling dialogue is never a productive means of debate, Stein's film is to the genre of documentary what fox news is to "fair and balanced" reporting.
