THE CARTEL ON DEMAND → On Demand Weekly

THE CARTEL ON DEMANDDecember 22, 2010

Gravitas Ventures

On Demand Weekly provides new movie reviews of hot movies on demand from the POV of watching from the comfort of your home. Today's review: THE CARTEL (Gravitas Ventures).
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I like my rabble roused as much as the next guy and few things can do that like a good documentary. Whether it's HEARTS AND MINDS, THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE, or HOOP DREAMS, I look to a documentary to outrage me, instigate me, drive me into high dudgeon -- just don't bore me. Subject matter is less important to me than the passion of the filmmaker. Whether you're onboard with Michael Moore, a showboater whose docs are much more about the messenger than the message, his films are nothing if not provocative.

So when I heard about Bob Bowdon's THE CARTEL, an investigation into the wasteful spending practices of state education boards and the vise grip that teachers' unions have over school districts, I salivated. As a professional educator in suburban New York, and a taxpayer who sent two kids to public school, I have a unique view of the issue of school budgets and the teacher tenure imposed by unions. From where I sat, THE CARTEL had the potential to be an explosive look at a sensitive and very current topic.

Unfortunately, as I sat where I sat, I was incredibly disappointed. It wasn't Bowdon's agenda -- "School spending: bad. Teacher tenure: badder" -- he's entitled to his opinion and it's certainly valid. There's no question that overspending and waste is rampant in school systems across the country and that incompetent or even dangerous teachers are harder than ever before to terminate.

But Bowdon manages to make a documentary that is simplistic, didactic, and dull. THE CARTEL is a series of talking heads, most of whom are connected the New Jersey Department of Education, prattling on in sound bites that come off as pat and exaggerated -- is there really a correlation between the number of Mercedes in the parking lot and the low quality of the school district?

While the film's frequent condemnation of machine politics, cronyism, and patronage that plague the New Jersey education system is laudable, THE CARTEL's strident tone and severely slanted pitch make it a chore to endure. In addition, Bowdon's attempt to juice up the proceedings with some Spurlockian animation depicting things like the effect of school vouchers, comes off as imitative and bush-league, showing none of the wit that made SUPER SIZE ME so entertaining.

Bowdon's narration is shrill and obvious, spoon-feeding the audience his my-way-or-the-highway flippancy, while vilifying those in the film who do the same if they aren't on the Bowdon bandwagon. As a result THE CARTEL has a hectoring tone that makes it more screed than documentary.

It's a shame, because the backroom dealings in the world of education are ripe for exposure; teachers and administrators who put their interests ahead of those of their students should be flushed out by some crusading muckraker, one who could offer a balanced viewpoint and discern the shades of gray that tint the issue.

Too bad that THE CARTEL is a one-dimensional, black-and-white attack that lacks the subtlety and sophistication to which it aspires. If you're on the prowl for compelling non-fiction, pass it by.

- Chris Claro

Chris Claro is a new contributing writer to On Demand Weekly. He is a former Director of Promotion for Sundance Channel and now works as a writer, producer, and media educator. He is a regular contributor to dvdverdict.com and contributor to the Eyes and Ears section of huffingtonpost.com