Probably Not Coming to a Theater Near You

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 13, 2008 8:00PM

Happy Valentine's Day, Barack!

Obama hasn't yet snagged the Democratic nomination. But already, like John Kerry before him, he's about to become the target of an "exposé film." As reported in the New York Times, the conservative group Citizens United has budgeted about $1 million to produce the film, which they plan to distribute this summer. The group and its president have previously released such creatively-titled valentines as Hillary, the Movie (a love song to the former first lady) and Celsius 41.11 (an ode to Michael Moore).

The question is, where would such a movie play? We're guessing not at the Siskel, which cancelled screenings of another film about Obama, and not at the Music Box either, which eventually showed it. Perhaps it'll be more of a homegrown operation, with treasured DVD copies being passed hand to hand.

These kinds of "muckraking" pieces (or smear tactics, if you prefer) usually seem to involve a lot of hot wind on the part of the creators and and a fair amount of indifference on the part of everyone else. Obama himself has been more than candid about his past. If we had to predict what sorts of "shocking secrets" this movie will include, we'd choose Obama's former drug use, the fact that he briefly went to a Muslim school and his love for the music of Kool & the Gang. O.K., we're joking about that last one.

image via Blunt