A close-quarters look at Jimmy Carter, “Man From Plains” is an interesting character study, but flawed on two points.
One is that the film is limited in its portrait of Carter by sticking almost entirely to following him around during a 2006 book tour and listening in on his many press interviews. Actual biographical background is limited, and Carter has his public face on for much of the film.
The other problem is Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme’s frankly worshipful view of the subject. To be sure, Demme includes dissenting voices on the controversy that Carter ignited with his most recent book, but for the most part, Carter comes off as saintly.
Of course, maybe Jimmy Carter is this patient and kindly and God-fearing, and never loses his temper or swears at puppies. He did win the Nobel Peace Prize, as we are frequently reminded here.
The movie begins with Carter in his hometown of Plains, Ga., on the farm that his family has owned for more than 100 years. We see Carter preaching in his hometown church, and saying grace at a backyard barbecue.
But soon enough, the man from Plains becomes a man on planes. The film follows Carter through an exhausting series of speaking, book-signing and interview appearances across the country.
Because the book he’s plugging is called “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” Carter very quickly is condemned for comparing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories to South Africa’s treatment of blacks.
This becomes the topic of the film as well. A long flashback recalls the Camp David agreement brokered by Carter between Israel’s Menachem Begin and Egypt’s Anwar Sadat, a dramatic story that relied on a last-minute change of position by one of the leaders.
Interesting stuff, yet the Middle East swamps the rest of the movie. Other archival footage is just as good, such as Carter asking Americans to turn down the heat to save energy. When’s the last time you heard a U.S. president ask ordinary, non-military Americans to sacrifice anything?
What’s really most interesting is Carter’s effect on others. There’s a marvelous shot of him moving down the aisle of an airplane (he rides commercial and carries his own luggage), glad-handing people as he goes. It’s hard to tell who’s enjoying this more — the people or Carter.
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