JIMMY CARTER MAN FROM PLAINS sounds like a ballad.  Indeed, there is such a song, called Ballad of Jimmy Carter written and performed by Dan Bern at the end of the film.  By that time, director Jonathan Demme (SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, HEART OF GOLD) has demonstrated that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter known to many as the peanut farmer President is a legend in his own right.

Demme’s documentary follows Jimmy Carter on his book tour for the best-selling Palestine: Peace or Apartheid.  The title alone causes controversy and in some cases, extreme anger resulting in Carter being labelled a racist, a liar and a coward.  While educating the audience as well on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, the film’s main emphasis is on the man in question.  Demme shows Carter to be generous, kind, risk-taking but ultimately intelligent enough to earn the respect of being a President and a world leader.  Demme also includes important footage from the successful Camp David peace talks and accomplishments of the Carter Centre.  But the most moving is Carter’s speech defending himself and his work against dissidents.

Despite the heavy nature of the documentary and its running time of over 2 hours, JIMMY CARTER MAN OF PLAINS is a thoroughly enjoyable and revealing road trip that is over before you know it.