Everything's Cool

Sometimes you've got to be part of the problem to be part of the solution," intones a voice over at the beginning of Everything's Cool, a well-intentioned but glib documentary about global warming. The solution here seems to consist of driving around in a Ryder truck painted with the phrase "G_ _B_L _ _ R_ _ NG" and asking people to fill in the blanks. This diversion sets the tone for the rest of the film, which is gratingly condescending toward its audience and sorely lacking in any substantive information about the problem or the solution. The most interesting scenes by far take place at the Weather Channel's Atlanta headquarters, where a newly hired climatologist struggles to cram her massive expertise into sound bites—her dismay at not being allowed to use the word "ironic" is pitch-perfect. But mostly we get long, dreary clips of icicles melting and children playing in slushy snow that are downright manipulative: Ice and snow melt every spring, and highlighting micro-changes that are well within the parameters of normal variation does nothing to explain the broader problems of climate change.