An Inconsistent Truth is Valentine's investigation into man-made global warming. The title alludes to Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Valentine talks with scientists and politicians who reject the scientific consensus on climate change, and explores the culture of the global warming movement; often in a satirical way. The topics covered include being called a pollutant, Gore's contention that polar bears are dying off and the global ice is melting, among others. Valentine also delves into the motivation behind the movement.
Production
The film features a 1985 Mercedes 300D, named Bennie the BioBenz, Valentine bought with the purpose of running it on biodiesel. Valentine makes his own biodiesel by collecting used vegetable oil and running it through a machine called the Fuelmeister. Bennie the BioBenz underwent a facelift prior to its close-ups in the movie from Vogely & Todd Paint and Body Shop in Nashville, TN. When Valentine bought Bennie it had a crushed right front fender, and then the car delivery service damaged Bennie's hood. Valentine purchased a used fender from a junk dealer in Memphis, and the hood was replaced. The car was stripped down to the metal and repainted as well as having its interior restored. Additionally, the famous Mercedes "Turbo Diesel" badging on the car was replaced with a custom "Biodiesel" badge. Bennie can be seen throughout the movie and can be seen on some of the movie's posters.
Theatrical release
An Inconsistent Truth held its world premiere in Nashville at the Regal Hollywood 27 Theaters on January 26, 2012. It opened to the public the next night and was the top-grossing movie per screen in the country for its first two weeks, grossing a total of US$20,733 on the one screen it played on. When it closed as of 2012, it had made a total of $69,394. On September 23, 2013, the film was released on DVD., it is the 27th top-grossing English-language nature documentary of all time at the box office.
Soundtrack
The movie score was written and performed by Michael Thomas Benoit. The soundtrack features original music from Pacific Heat, Willie B. Green, Chadwick Station, and Phil Valentine & The Heartthrobs. Green's "Dirt People" plays as the end credits roll.
John Beifuss, writing in The Commercial Appeal noted the tiny release of the film, but still found the opening box office to be "extraordinarily impressive." He observed similarities between the film's producer, Phil Valentine, and another documentary filmmaker, Michael Moore, particularly the way in which Valentine hounds Al Gore for an interview. Film critic Prairie Miller was skeptical of the film's premise: that Al Gore's environmental activism is motivated by a desire for money and power. She criticized the direction of Shayne Edwards, writing that it's "really a case of wagging the dog with smug narrator Phil Valentine calling the shots." She also faults Valentine for not disclosing his affiliations with conservative causes.
