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Mother Jones: “A timely exploration”
Josh Harkinson of the venerable lefty outlet Mother Jones weighs in on “What’s the Matter with Kansas?”
In his 2004 book, What’s the Matter With Kansas?, Thomas Frank probed the psyches of Midwestern “values voters” to explain why blue-collar Americans abandoned economic self-interest to vote for George W. (…)
SF Examiner: An engrossing visit to another world – no 3-D glasses required
In advance of the movie’s San Francisco opening this Friday, the SF Examiner has paved new critical ground by being the first outlet to compare our little movie with James Cameron’s AVATAR:
For an engrossing visit to another world — one that doesn’t involve 3-D glasses and whose name is Wichita — “What’s the Matter With Kansas?” is the film to see this week. (…)
One of the Ten Best Documentaries of 2009
Roger Ebert just named his Ten Best Documentaries of the year, and “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” made the list! Of course all of us who made the movie are thrilled and honored. (His original review is here.) Ebert is quick to note, though, that like a lot of his favorite docs, very few people have seen ours yet:
Some of the best documentaries of 2009 hardly seemed to exist. (…)
Larryville.com knows what’s the matter
The Staff of Larryville of Lawrence, KS made it to a recent screening at Liberty Hall, and “armed with popcorn and beer” took a reflective journey into the politics of their home state. We feel that they may have found the heart of the movie, as they conclude:
The character selection in this documentary showed some real genius. As often as one may cringe, there is cheering at the mindsets more similar. Regardless of what one may or may not choose politically, one still has to stand back and admire the conviction. (…)
The two Manhattans
George Haymont reviewed “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” back in October for his blog, My Cultural Landscape. (…)
Can liberals and conservatives enjoy the same movie?
Our film adaptation of Thomas Frank’s “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” raises eyebrows with some fans of the book, because it does not set out to explain the whole argument Frank makes about why social conservatives overwhelmingly vote Republican (even last fall, in the face of economic disaster.)
A refreshing breeze
The Oklahoman shows some appreciation for the evenhanded tone of our movie:
Joe Winston’s “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” explores how real people live, work, think and vote in Oklahoma’s neighbor to the north. (…)
Early reactions from Oklahoma
The OK Gazette has weighed in on “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” in advance of our screenings and appearances in Tulsa on Friday and Oklahoma City on Saturday. After playing to big-city crowds in Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago, we’re eager to hear from audiences in the heartland. This reviewer clearly takes the idea that “something is the matter” quite seriously:
Directed by Joe Winston and suggested by a best-selling 2004 nonfiction book by Thomas Frank, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” tries to objectively answer the biased question of its title. (…)
They love us in Alabama
Left in Alabama has taken a look at “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” and they like what they see:
At the outset, the film presents a broad spectrum of Kansans; there’s the former Republican farmer who fights for small farmers and against global warming, the migrant workers from Mexico who come to Kansas hoping to earn a better life in the slaughterhouses and the shadows. (…)
3 1/2 Stars from Roger Ebert!
“I’ve rarely seen a documentary quite like it. It has a point to make but no ax to grind…What’s the Matter with Kansas? doesn’t connect the dots, nor does it need to. It takes no cheap shots. It is all there to see. These good people are voting against themselves.”
Why Kansas Matters
John K. Wilson’s review of “What’s the matter with Kansas?” appears in the current issue of In These Times, an unapologetically leftist Chicago-based newsweekly. (…)