No Impact Man: The Documentary (2009)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jim H

  
  A man lives for one year without affecting the environment, which means he uses no electricity, eats only locally produced food, composts all his waste, and wipes his ass with a dishrag. I think the main character of this documentary is not "no impact man" but his… More
  A man lives for one year without affecting the environment, which means he uses no electricity, eats only locally produced food, composts all his waste, and wipes his ass with a dishrag. I think the main character of this documentary is not "no impact man" but his unfortunate wife. There are several scenes near the beginning during which it seems as though she's being coerced into doing this "project." I frequently thought, "If by the end of this she converts to his way of thinking, I'm going to accuse this film of Stockholm Syndrome. So, Stockholm Syndrome is the unintentional subject of this documentary. That last sentence is half-joking. Michelle seems critical and selective in her conversion. Colin Beevan occasionally seems like a blow hard mouthpiece, but these scenes are counter-balanced by some moments of sincerity. Other critics have accused Beevan of performing a mere publicity stunt, but isn't it a stunt only if he uses a hair dryer on the weekends? I think you could criticize him for waiting six months to turn off the lights, point out that he doesn't have a clever way to prevent waste water, or accuse him of insensitivity when he powers his laptop to write <i>his</i> blog with donated solar panels but doesn't let his wife use the juice for the refrigerator. But I don't see anything dishonest about Beevan. He is well-meaning and idealistic, and those are necessarily bad things. Overall, I don't think <i>No Impact Man</i> will do anything to change your life (or mine), but Beevan's question of what could we live without is certainly food for thought.

• Jake .

  
  Quite honestly, the first thing that struck about Beavan's work, both tthe book and film, was 'why haven't I heard anything about this?' It is absolutely fascinating. Personally, I've already bought into the whole "green" movement, but it's… More
  Quite honestly, the first thing that struck about Beavan's work, both tthe book and film, was 'why haven't I heard anything about this?' It is absolutely fascinating. Personally, I've already bought into the whole "green" movement, but it's really only after watching something like this that you realize the full extend of what you can cut out. Better still, it kind of causes you to think about what things you would and would not be willing to cut. I don't think anyone's defending consumer culture, but through laziness, ignorance, or lack of ambition, it's something we've all bought into. It's our entire culture really. I loved Michelle's observation that American roads and public places are created for SUV's, not people. We are all so completely indoctrinated into this way of life that to do otherwise seems revolutionary. Also, the Beavan's are incredibly likable. At times the film seems a bit stages, but they are not self-righteous are overall, they come across as decent people; they are not an unpleasant bunch to spend ninty minutes with.

• Leigh R

  
  Opened my eyes to quite a bit. I don't think I would go to the extremes that this family did, but I know there are a few things that I could change in my daily habits. I think it would be good for everyone to give this type of living a shot so that everyone can see just what… More
  Opened my eyes to quite a bit. I don't think I would go to the extremes that this family did, but I know there are a few things that I could change in my daily habits. I think it would be good for everyone to give this type of living a shot so that everyone can see just what they can do to help the environment.

• Steve K

  
  Fascinating, though not particularly insightful, look at one man (and his family's) attempt to live with out having any negative impact (consumables, recycling, power, etc.) on the world around him. An especially daunting task, seeing as they live in New York. Fun, though you… More
  Fascinating, though not particularly insightful, look at one man (and his family's) attempt to live with out having any negative impact (consumables, recycling, power, etc.) on the world around him. An especially daunting task, seeing as they live in New York. Fun, though you may want to punch the wife a few times. And you'll feel sorry for the kid.

• Walter M

  
  "No Impact Man" is about writer Colin Beavan who decides to take a more activist approach to his craft. For a year, he plans on reducing his and his family's impact on the environment to almost none. Since he feels recycling is insufficient, he has his family give up… More
  "No Impact Man" is about writer Colin Beavan who decides to take a more activist approach to his craft. For a year, he plans on reducing his and his family's impact on the environment to almost none. Since he feels recycling is insufficient, he has his family give up newspapers, magazines, coffee, eating at restaurants and most importantly, toilet paper, and writes about it on his blog. The only food consumed will be bought at the farmer's market at Union Square(by doing so, cutting down on the transportation of food by only buying local and becoming vegetarians in the process). In fact, any motorized transport including elevators and the subway are out.(Did I mention he lives in Manhattan?) Personally, I would allow mass transit. Eventually, he plans on even going without electricity entirely, with the exception of his laptop to write his blog and other activities. In the end, he gets a lot of notoriety in the press from all over the world through his blog but little in the way of actually inspiring others. As drastic as some of his actions may seem(akin to cold turkey), there are a lot of good ideas there, including the increased use of bicycles in cities. And I like a family with a young child going without television but this could also lead to charades. What the documentary is mostly interested in, however, is not the substance of Colin's activism then the soap opera of his family's daily life, especially the irrelevant conversations on pregnancy which felt like prying. As one person in the documentary puts it, reducing pregnancies is another good way of reducing humanity's impact on the environment.

• Jeff T

  
  How entertaining can trying to lower your environmental footprint be? Evidently very entertaining, if this sweet documentary is any evidence. A film about a family giving up all fun things for a year... I mean a film about a family radically changing their lifestyle for one year to… More
  How entertaining can trying to lower your environmental footprint be? Evidently very entertaining, if this sweet documentary is any evidence. A film about a family giving up all fun things for a year... I mean a film about a family radically changing their lifestyle for one year to see how it is living a life with no impact on the geosphere (no garbage, no electricity, eating only locally grown foods, etc.) what really makes this fascinating is that it becomes a document of a fascinating marriage. Colin Beavan takes his family on this journey from within their apartment in Manhattan, and his articulate and delightful consumerist wife Michelle has a thing or two to say about it. What transpires over the year is, of course, surprising, and they are both winning enough to pull you through the spots in the film that are slightly on the preachy (though absolutely compelling and definitely worthwhile) sections; a movie that really dares you to join in and make a difference. And Al Gore is nowhere to be seen.

• Sarah P

  
  I thought it was an important message, but pretty average for a film. I liked how at the end, it was addressed that there is no way people are going to give up electricity, but we need how to do it better - like using solar, and other renewable sources.

• Simeon D

  
  For the sake of making a bad pun: this movie had "no impact" on me. No Impact Man is a documentary that follows a New York city family as they reduce their impact on the environment to zero for an entire year. The "No Impact Man" is Colin Beavan, a writer/blogger… More
  For the sake of making a bad pun: this movie had "no impact" on me. No Impact Man is a documentary that follows a New York city family as they reduce their impact on the environment to zero for an entire year. The "No Impact Man" is Colin Beavan, a writer/blogger who convinces his stereotypical-consumer wife and toddler to help him have zero impact on the enviorment by not using paper products, electricity, vhicles of any kind, food that isn't farmed, and removing everything that isn't a necessity. There is some conflict throughout the film, as Colin's wife is resentful against many of his eco-friendly plans, but other than this there is not much to drive this film along on an entertainment point of view. In a documentary point of view, No Impact Man shows how living with no impact on the enviorment can take its toll on a person's health and social livelyhood, be it for the better or the worse. Along with this, there is also a sidestory about Colin Beavan's rise to fame from internet blogger to enviormentalist celebrity. This was obviously very low budget and it shows through the lack of diversity in images and dull camera shots, but it makes it's point through the constant interviews with the Beavan's and by showing how their obscure eco-friendly routines are actually benificial towards them and the enviorment. Yet, even through watching the Beavans endure this ambitious undertaking, I felt that no overall message or moral was being sent from this movie. No Impact Man is a definate documantary caper that is incredibly relevant in todays world, and could appeal to some audiences, and severally dissapoint others. 72/100

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