DVD Review: ‘Outrage’ Exposes the Injustice of Self-Denial

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CHICAGO – “Thank you for coming out today,” said Idaho senator Larry Craig at an August ’07 press conference. He had been arrested two months prior on the charges of “lewd conduct” in a men’s restroom. This was the latest of many similar allegations aimed at the politician, who had spent his career hiding in the closet, while refusing to help pass legislation that would protect gay rights.

According to Kirby Dick’s galvanizing documentary, “Outrage,” Craig is merely one of many closeted politicians on Capitol Hill whose repressed lifestyle has led them to vote hypocritically. The film argues that if these key figures in America’s political establishment outed themselves, then their voting records would change dramatically. Most of the politicians Dick outs are white, male conservatives who seem to be punishing themselves because of their own impulses. As a result, they are also punishing every single gay American.

DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0

Though the film primarily consists of talking heads and statistics, it makes for thoroughly gripping and provocative viewing. Much of the filmmakers’ charges are based in speculation, but Dick makes a convincing case by tracing the politicians’ steps, while speaking with a variety of insiders. Some of the most powerful insights come from former New Jersey governor James McGreevey, who publicly outed himself after finding the closeted lifestyle detrimental to his well-being. Among the endless chilling stories of self-denial is that of House member Jim McCrery, who was a Democratic gay atheist before backers came his way, thus causing him to transform into a straight conservative favored by the Christian Coalition. On the opposite side of the spectrum, RNC staffer Dan Gurley oversaw anti-gay campaigns before he was outed. He’s now a member of Equality North Carolina, working to secure equal rights for LGBT Americans.

Idaho senator Larry Craig is one of many politicians outed in Kirby Dick’s muckraking documentary Outrage.
Photo credit: Magnolia Home Entertainment

In his previous documentary, “This Film Is Not Yet Rated,” Dick outed members of the puritanical MPAA ratings board, hiring a lesbian family of private investigators as his own personal team of Michael Moore-style undercover detectives. Like much of Moore’s work, “This Film” was both superb entertainment and a maddening exposé. “Outrage” is a far more serious film, though it does follow another Moore-type, journalist/activist Michael Rogers, as he outs various politicians (including Craig and Gurley), and succeeds in keeping a cool head during his appearance on “Hannity & Colmes.” Dick also makes great use of footage from HBO’s stellar adaption of Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America,” which painted an unforgettable portrait of closeted lawyer Roy Cohn, who thought his “clout” allowed him to rise above the label of “homosexual.” There’s also a hilarious news blooper in which an anchor mistakenly refers to a blind mountain climber as gay, thus inadvertently labeling the sexual orientation as a handicap.

Outrage was released on DVD on January 19th, 2010. Photo credit: Magnolia Home Entertainment

Life in the closet thrives on lying, spinning and delusional thinking, which are also essential traits for Washington politicians. Though “Outrage” may have benefitted from more interviews with politicians opposed to the outing process or equal rights, Dick’s film (while occasionally repetitious) is single-minded in its pursuit for the truth, and its overarching message is a profoundly important one.

“Outrage” is presented in its 1.78:1 aspect ratio, and includes several enlightening special features. In the feature-length audio commentary, Dick (accompanied by producer Amy Ziering) discusses how he first realized that the media had dropped the ball in covering the trend of closeted gay politicians. He also acknowledges criticism aimed at the film, such as the charge that the filmmakers, in referring to this trend as a “conspiracy,” were overstating their case. One of the director’s challenges while completing the film was his balancing of tones, allowing the film to appeal to two particular audiences: the general public and the political press. There’s also 8 minutes of deleted scenes (including some amusing diversions, such as Michael Rogers’s trip to a Creationism Museum), a 9 minute director Q&A at a screening in Washington, DC, and an excellent half-hour panel discussion at the Tribeca Film Festival, moderated by Rodger McFarlane and featuring Dick, Larry Kramer and Michelangelo Signorile. The most heartrending extra is a tribute to McFarlane, a vital leader in the gay rights movement, who took his own life shortly after the film’s limited release.

By MATT FAGERHOLM Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com matt@hollywoodchicago.com