Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed

MPA Rating: PG-Rating (MPA) for thematic material, some disturbing images and brief smoking.

Reviewed by: Rev. Bryan Griem
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Better than Average
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults Teens
Genre: Documentary
Length: 1 hr. 30 min.
Year of Release: 2008
USA Release: April 18, 2008 (wide—1,052 theaters)
Copyright, Rocky Mountain Pictures Copyright, Rocky Mountain Pictures Copyright, Rocky Mountain Pictures Copyright, Rocky Mountain Pictures Copyright, Rocky Mountain Pictures Copyright, Rocky Mountain Pictures Copyright, Rocky Mountain Pictures Copyright, Rocky Mountain Pictures
Relevant Issues
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Featuring Ben Stein
Jason Collett
Special Thanks:
The British Museum of Natural History, The Jewish Center of the Hamptons, Peter Atkins, Hector Avalos, Doug Axe, David Berlinski, Walter Bradley, Bruce Chapman, Caroline Crocker, Richard Dawkins, William Dembski, Daniel Dennett, Michael Egnor, Steve Fuller, Uta George, Marciej Giertych, Guillermo Gonzalez, John Hauptman, Christopher Hitchens, Ben Kelley, John Lennox, Robert J. Marks II, Alister E. McGrath, Stephen C. Meyer, Paul “PZ” Myers, Paul Nelson, William Provine, Michael Ruse, Congressman Mark Souder, Eugenie C. Scott, Gerald Schroeder, Michael Shermer, Richard Sternberg, Jeffrey Schwartz, Daniel Walsch, Richard Weikart, Jonathan Wells, Larry Witham, Pamela Winnick
Director Nathan Frankowski
Producer Logan Craft, Walt Ruloff, John Sullivan, Mark Mathis
Distributor Rocky Mountain Pictures

“Big science is kicking smart new ideas out of of school… What they forgot is that every generation has its Rebel! Ben Stein blows the horn on suppression.”

Touché! “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” has made Ben Stein the new hero of believers in God everywhere, and has landed a smart right cross to the protruding jaw of evolution’s elite. Stein is known for his dry, Droopy Dog demeanor, and for his diverse public career which included playing a memorable roll in the comedy movie, “Ferris Bueller's Day Off,” on the one end, and the important task of presidential speech writer, on the other. Here he serves as the documentary’s globetrotting reporter.

Humorous film clips punctuate the movie, making what many might think a dry academic topic for theater-going into a smart romp and most enjoyable experience. Audiences are applauding as credits roll, and people are leaving theaters empowered as they perceive a mighty chink has now been made in the armor surrounding our culture’s impenetrable, atheistic, Darwinian monopoly.

There is little doubt that evolutionary belief and atheism go had in hand, as one after another of its intellectual proponents admit this to Stein. When Darwinism is embraced, atheism is sure to follow as death follows decapitation, and this fact appears born out as the elite interviewees confess the sequence in their own lives and careers.

One Cornell University professor in the movie positively conceded that the end result of accepting evolution was, for him, the realization that there is no free will and no after-life. This seems a peculiar and irrationally happy reaction to the prospect, and thinking people everywhere would find this a rather undesirable state of affairs, if true. So much is at stake, and the conclusion of the godless mindset is neither certain nor very scientific.

In addition, Stein notes that “evolution’s top apologists have switched from defending Darwinism to attacking religion,” and this is really the thing upon which the movie most concentrates. Is the United States a freedom loving, free-thinking, intellectually inquisitive nation of cordial academic pursuit, or is it a politically correct, closed-minded arena of thought controlling, in-crowd Neanderthals? The latter seems to be the conclusion of internationals, and the audience will draw the same conclusion as professors and educators present their tales of discrimination, blacklisting, and defamation at the hands of the American evolutionary juggernaut and its related tentacles.

The evidence is clear that a glass ceiling exists for scientific professionals who would dare countenance the notion of God as an explanation for what they readily observe in their various disciplines, and one notable scientist (who actually discovered a planet) immediately lost tenure for merely suggesting other than the Darwinian status quo.

A clip or two of Nazi atrocities are shown in brief, which are never easy to look at, but which are included as evidence of the outcome of evolutionary embrace. Stein comes from a Jewish background and traveled to Germany to examine some of the aftermath of Darwin’s philosophy. There he found the various crematoriums used in World War II built to destroy the less “evolved” of the human species as well as those “less fit to survive.”

The Berlin wall is also included as something of an illustration for what our own culture is doing with regard to scientific dissent. The East Germans walled out the western ideas that might get across and upset its prevailing communistic philosophies, and so our own culture has erected non-material walls against one informed dissenting hypothesis, namely, Intelligent Design (ID).

ID is not creationism, although the two are related. The former seeks truth though scientific investigation and concludes an intelligent designer behind the vast information and mathematical intricacies so evident in observed “creation.” Creationism starts with the intelligent Designer and argues for evidence to support the premise. For Christians, God created the universe, and He did it according to what he has revealed to us in the Bible. Good Christians disagree as to whether the Genesis account is to be understood in terms of literal days or day-ages, but most would contend that evolution is nowhere to be found in the process.

The religious contribution ID makes is that it validates a transcendent designer—which everyone naturally refers to as “God.” What ID doesn’t do is tell us which God, and it’s up to us Christians to provide an intelligent witness and reasonable evidence for the God of Intelligent Design being the same God of inspired Scripture, the one incarnated as Jesus Christ.

What makes the movie worth every penny spent on popcorn and admission, are the blatant “missing links” found in the conclusions of all the evolution proponents throughout. Stein would humbly ask for explanations, looking for inconvertible answers, yet was left amazed at what the responses all boiled down to. What got the evolutionary process going to begin with? Perhaps inanimate crystals just gave way to biological organisms, was one answer. What of the observed natural complexities in organisms that seemingly would require some sort of intelligent agency for existence? This was a good one. Richard Dawkins, the infamous atheist, evolutionary biologist and author of The God Delusion—a man who hates the very notion of God and says every imaginably awful thing regarding Him—in the film, conceded that if the design had an agent it would be that of some extra terrestrial. To hear that he would punt to Martians or little green men rather than God, brought to mind Romans 1:22-23,

“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God…” (NIV).

All he did was leave the design question on another planet, rather than provide the solution.

ID is not a dead issue, because even those who oppose it cannot figure out how design in the universe got there, and despite whatever accusations they want to make against Christians and their faith, evolutionists also have faith, and it is blind. Blind, because they will not turn aside to what can readily be observed and consider its more obvious consequence.

There is one minor expletive uttered, closely synonymous with “Hades,” but other than that there is little else to warn anyone about. Perhaps the old-time stock footage showing a man with a cigarette will offend some, but this is about as objectionable as it gets.

I can say whole-heartedly that I recommend this film for Christians everywhere. See it, and show it to your non-Christian friends. I think you will enjoy the movie and glean some rich material for discussion afterward. My only regret is that “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” is limited in its release. Maybe with mass patronage, it will spread to wider exhibition. Let’s hope it does, because the emperor has no clothes, and this exposé makes it obvious. Also, pray for our science community, because…

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see…” (2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV).

More information


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—First, the reader should be aware that this film is not about Creation Science and not a single Creation Scientist was interviewed. Ben Stein set out to demonstrate that Intelligent Design was being suppressed for political and religious reasons. The scientists interviewed are all from mainstream academia and science, and include someone kicked out of the Smithsonian for allowing ID to be mentioned. The film also explores the dark side of the consequences of Darwinianism such as took place under Nazi Germany. The best part of the film, however, is when atheist Richard Dawkins admits to Ben Stein (the full comments are included, not just a sound bite) that he does not have a problem with Intelligent Design so long as the Designer is an space Alien and not God!

In other cases we hear atheistic “skeptics” declaring that life grew on the backs of crystals (again, these are not sound bites but interviews) or were seeded by space aliens (so much for skepticism)! The film is highly recommended for those who want to understand the politics behind the scientific academia. That this is not just isolated I can attest, for this climate is one reason I opted to get my Masters in religion rather than science. I simply didn't know how to keep my mouth shut, and fortunately neither does Ben Stein.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4
Positive—This may be the movie talked about this year. Quality production, kept interesting with first person quotes, mostly on camera, and lots of clips from well known past movies to add interest and visual stimulation. The content was very interesting and reflected my experiences in the University of California classes. But that aside, the only thing I would have added are concrete examples in the huge holes in the theory of evolution. But the films points are well made, and that is, freedom to speak a dissenting option is not allowed in our society in the sacred area of science.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 5
John Fox, age 55
Positive—I expected this movie to be another boring documentary, but it was very funny and very enlightening. I would encourage everyone who loves their freedom in America and knows Darwinism is false to support this movie by seeing it in the theatres. You won't be disappointed, Ben Stein has his usual dry humor in there while still fighting seriously against evolution.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Ariel, age 17
Positive—“Expelled” not only challenges every personal scientific belief and opinion we hold as to whether it's based on fact or fiction, but cements the need to allow others to express their scientific beliefs and opinions. The movie focuses on one of the foundations of the USA in allowing freedom of speech by holding the mirror of this freedom to science, mainly the evolution verses intelligent design debate.
“Expelled” then exposes the suppression of other possibilities of the beginning of life by the “powers that be” in the science community. This suppression goes beyond mud slinging by crossing far beyond the lines of freedom to be vicious, vindictive, blackballing, and destructive.
Interestingly enough, backers of evolution claim that intelligent design is a front for creationism. However, the movie revealed quite the opposite. Evolution seems to be fiercely supported by atheists. Scientists of religious and non-religious backgrounds both agree, due to evidence, that intelligent design has merits from a purely scientific perspective.
This movie exhibits openness to freedom of speech regardless of personal beliefs by allowing both sides of the debate to share why they believe what they believe, while showing tremendous creativity in the making of a documentary through the use of music, historical footage, directing, script writing, interviews and on-site footage. Most importantly, the film engages the mind and heart in ways few films do. When the DVD hits the stores, I will run, NOT walk, just to have a copy in my library.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 5
Andrea, age 35
Positive—I greatly anticipated this film coming to the big screen and I was even more excited when it actually made it to two theaters nearby. Perhaps I was too excited, because this is not exactly a movie that causes an adrenaline rush. Ben Stein did an excellent job overall. It did however seem a little bit long. I would have been more alert if he would have worn those crazy shorts with his red tie and long black socks as on his movie web sight. I would have loved to have watched him interview Richard Dawkins in that ‘get up.’ I do not think that this will hold the interest of young teens, but you never know, the theater environment does have its affect.
The film hits on at least three major points, including (1) the knee-jerk reaction in the general scientific community (but not limited to) over Intelligent Design (including dismissals, denial of tenure, etc.), (2) the social impact of Darwinism in history (the Nazis in particular) and how Darwinism leads to despair, finally (3) that it has lead many to atheism. It seemed to barely scratch the surface of the I.D. scientific argument. Michael Behe was completely left out of the picture even though his irreducible complexity is the most powerful argument that I.D. has. I did not recall William Dembski bringing up specified complexity either. Thus the 4½ rating.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Jp, age 37
Positive—This movie is not intended to prove the existence of God, or even that the God of the Bible is the creator of the world. It's focus is entirely on those scientists who oppose intelligent design and the reasons that they try to keep it from being discussed in the scientific world. “Expelled” also reveals to the viewer the moral/ethical implications of Darwinism by showing the biggest example of Social Darwinism in recent history: Nazi Germany and its cruelty toward the “unfit to breed” and “unworthy of life.” Before they go into the theatre viewers should know that Stein does not intend to “prove” anything in this film other than that “atheists” and “evolutionists” are afraid of Intelligent Design, for reasons they dance around and avoid facing. Stein tries to gently coax it out of the men he interviews and at the very end he finally gets the answer we Christians suspected (and the Bible predicted) all along: Evolutionists do not despise Intelligent Design because it involves the work of a sentient being. They tremble and snarl because it causes them to come face to face with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Richard Dawkins gives the most eye-opening confession: he might allow that green aliens created the world but he would never accept that it was the work of the Christian God.

Mission Accomplished: Stein proves that the debate between Darwinism and Intelligent Design is not suppressed by the inferiority of ID's arguments or the superiority of Darwinism's answers. It's because the Darwinists are terrified of the implications of allowing a debate. By opening a dialog they would be admitting that there may be a God that they have to answer to. Darwinists refuse to confront ID because they are afraid to confront the God who designed the world for His glory. We ought to pray for them, because it is truly heartbreaking to watch these scientists express such hate toward the loving creator of the universe.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4
Willow, age 18
Positive—This documentary was superb. Many of us, as Christians from a Christian World View may not realize the fact that Atheism and Darwinism, which go hand-in-hand, claimed more lives in the 20th Century alone than all of the so-called “Holy Wars” in world history. This fact is brought to life in this must-see documentary. A compelling argument is made that Nazism and Darwin's theories together and in their extreme were responsible for the attempted extermination of the Jewish race. It seems that most every nation that has embraced this philosophy has followed the same path of human suffering and bloodshed. Whether we are looking at Hitler, Stalin, Chairman Mao, or the killing fields of Southeast Asia, the common thread is always there which is Atheistic-Darwinism.

The conclusions are simple: what is taught in the classroom today could be government policy carried out at the end of a gun tomorrow. It is time to take back our higher institutions of learning today.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 5
Kyle Barrier, age 46
Positive—Bravo to Ben Stein and all involved in the production of “Expelled.” The light at the end of the tunnel could be the twinkle in Stein's eye! His witty approach to developing a search for truth in the evolution-intelligent design war is captivating and informative. Capitalizing on vast film collections available of historical and professional content to implement his examination of the Darwinist death grip within the scientific and educational worlds, Stein romps through vignette atop vignette, intermingling interviews with experts from both camps continually freeing truth to shine again.
There is one sobering moment Stein suddenly buries his head in his hands during an unemotional report on results of Hitler's adherence to Darwin. This documentary has hewn the path to the highest level of apobetic dissemination of information available to the present world. Excuses are no longer creditable in sidestepping the major contentions across the planet.

One easily musters a beginning list of topics supportable for this electric genre of journalistic docuscope : The global warming scam; Abortion; Islam; the war against the Jews and Israel, the media manipulation of politics {vis-a-vis the utter, complete blackout of Governor Huckabee's climb to win the Republican primary race}, and the list goes on and on.
“Expelled” closes with the credits rolling amidst a rousing ballad calling the viewer to soldier in this war for freedom and truth. One can only hope for quick and certain victory that other needful issues might then be brought to the fore.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
T. L. Farley, author, When Now Becomes Too Late, Distant Reaches, age 61
Positive—This is a brilliant film that brings out the underlying core issue behind this propaganda and hopefully stirs up action within our community and opens the eyes of those who have been deceived by darwinist beliefs and what happens when our freedoms are taken away. Of course they didn't have enough time to go into detail on everything and that is another thing that hopefully comes from this film, individual exploration of Christian apologetics and creation science, however they did bring out main scientific points that are not only evidence against evolution but evidence for intelligent design and the biggest one would probably be the complexity of the smallest—a single cell. They spent a good deal of time and effects on this and pointed out how there was no way that Darwin could have ever imagined the complexity that he mistook for simplicity. That a single cell is so complex, we could never even understand it today with all the technology that we do have. I agree that this is a very important film not only to support, but to see, to learn from, to be encouraged and awakened by and to reach out to the lost.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Angela, age 29
Positive—This was a great movie and a must see. It was extremely informative and had very good film-making qualities. Some critics have said that this move lacks substance and produces no real arguments for either the Neo-Darwinists or the Intelligent Design supporters. But Ben Stein's whole purpose for making the movie was to merely point out that there is a lack of freedom when concerning the theory of Intelligent design. As was said towards the end of the movie, most of battling this ban on ID is just knowing a ban exists. This movie isn't a blatant attack on Evolution. Even though, during the interviews you can see how absurd some evolutionist thought is. As a teenager, I was not bored and would recommend this to all my friends. This film is very well done and gets its points across in a very artistic manner. It will help all who watch it in the battle against evolution.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Brendan Lee, age 15
Positive—This film was so well done. The film showed the hypocrisy and extreme activities that staunch evolutionists are willing to engage in with an attempt at silencing other brilliant scientists through threats and coercive action in a country founded on freedom of speech. Exposing the evolutionists’ view that evolution must lead to atheism, while denying any religious motivation was shear brilliance. The movie-making quality was excellent. The use of old film footage and photos even kept the teenagers engaged in the film and, I must admit, added a second dimension to my thoughts as well. Very difficult and emotionally-charged subjects, such as the Holocaust, were handled modestly.
My only disappointment was the film's short run in our local theaters. I would have taken friends and family to see the film had there been more time. This movie will be added to our collection when it's available.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4
B Grupp, age 43
Positive—A must see movie!
Nothing of this sort has ever been made, and certainly not to this level of brilliance. Many of the great “hot buttons” in our society are examined in depth by Ben Stein (evolution, origin of life, euthanasia, abortion, planned parenthood, atheism, censorship in education…)
The format is perfect and allows each scholar to state his/her position clearly in his/her own words. These are the world's top scholars offering in their own undirected words, their thoughts on the above ideas.
The end result is the obvious and logical fallout of Darwinian evolution and unbelief in a creator God. You may well chose to beleive in nothing, but the results of this worldview are made clear for all to see and hear.
This is not propaganda but words and facts made clear (in a most engaging of documentary style).
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Joel Weber, age 36
Comments from young people
Negative—I think the movie brings a fantastic message out, but I almost fell asleep watching it! This movie is geared towards adults which is good, but I believe the message should be showed to kids and teens of the next generation so that they will learn now and stop the madness when they get older! Overall, it was geared to an older crowd and I hope ben stein makes a movie similar geared towards teens!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4
Katie, age 15
Positive—Well, this movie was horrible at first, action wise. My friend and I got in there and we literally asked my mom if we could leave to go see a different film. She said no, and we resulted to staying. I am SO glad we did! It gave us both a great perspective on the world and how it views creation and stuff. And the fact the intelligent design gets people kicked out of their jobs by the mere suggestion was fascinating, though it made me angry. My friend and I literally yelled “Amen!” or “That's STUPID!” because we couldn't believe that these people felt so strongly opposed to the Creator idea. Man, it made us angry to see some of the people in the documentary rip on God. After all, he made them! We came out of the movie in awe and in a huff at the fact that our religion had been so severely insulted. But it was amazing and I was sad when it ended. I was fascinated the whole time. I recommend it for those who are struggling with the concept and for those who are merely interested in what these atheists and Christians have to say. It's amazing, but not for younger folks. A great film.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Emily, age 13
Positive—I think this movie is very good and very intelligent. There is nothing objectionable, and I think it might help kids who are struggling with teachers who teach evolution in the classroom. But, there was so much information they hit you with, I kind of got a headache just trying to figure it all out!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Katie, age 16 (USA)

Endorsements

…I love Ben Stein. We worked together in politics many years ago. He’s a charming, engaging, and very bright guy. He’s on the right track here. What he’s doing in this film is extremely important because it is opening up an honest debate in the public square where people can hear reasoned arguments on both sides and make their own conclusions. …”—See: “Myths about ‘Expelled’
Chuck Colson, Radio Commentator, Founder of Prison Fellowship
…This is an enormously important project and I am so proud of the fact that Ben Stein, who is a national treasure, is part of it. People know that there is a dictatorial impulse at work in the land to shut down even the most elementary questioning of this unquestionable belief in random evolution and the American people don’t like being told by their ‘betters’ what they are supposed to believe. …
Michael Medved, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host
…I urge everyone not to miss ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed.’ I found it riveting, eye-opening, and even astonishing. Ben Stein does a masterful job of exposing the ruthlessness of evolutionists who will go after anyone who challenges or merely questions Darwinian orthodoxy. I was on the edge of my seat—entertained yet instructed. This movie is a must-see. Challenge school board members in your community to watch this well-produced documentary. Even pay for their tickets, but get them there! Congratulations to Ben Stein and the producers for the courage to create a much-needed perspective on the erosion of freedoms in America. …
Ken Ham, President of the world’s largest apologetics [or Bible-defending] ministry, Answers in Genesis, and the newly opened Creation Museum
…“Ben Stein’s film, ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed,’ makes a powerful case for ‘Intelligent Design’ in explaining the origins of life and the creation of the universe. It also exposes an entrenched and aggressive Darwinist establishment in academia that suffocates all competing points of view. Highly qualified professors and scientists who dare to question evolutionary orthodoxy are systematically excluded or summarily dismissed. It is political correctness run amuck on university campuses. Stein sets out on a mission to find out why I.D. is most often expelled from the public square, and what he discovers in this riveting documentary is incredibly enlightening. I recommend the film enthusiastically. …
James C. Dobson, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board, Focus on the Family
…It's no surprise to those of us trying to communicate the Good News that God is now excluded from most scientific discourse on campuses and in the media. We are seeing the consequences of locking matters of faith out of our classrooms. We applaud Ben Stein for casting light on today's challenges to academic freedom. …
Luis Palau, President, Luis Palau Association
If you have felt frustrated by all the lies about Intelligent Design, you will be thrilled with this movie—especially the concluding interview with Richard Dawkins. Please, go to EXPELLED! Take your church, your youth group, your neighbors, your mother. It will spark interesting conversations.
Ray Comfort,
…I saw EXPELLED and thought it was tremendous! The sheer intellect on the ID (Intelligent Design) side of the debate clears the notion of ‘fairy tales’ and the honesty of famous atheists like Richard Dawkins and his minions is shocking. Ben Stein does an excellent job using humor, tenacity, and personal passion to expose the anti-God, anti-American, Big Science agenda, linking Darwin's theory to the horrors of the Holocaust. A must see for every believer, agnostic, and atheist. …
Kirk Cameron, Christian actor and TV host
…Thank you for the triggering a cultural earthquake through ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed.’ When I saw it, I was stunned, amazed, shocked, entertained, enlightened, moved, and overwhelmed! The Berlin Wall theme was brilliantly executed and fully vindicated by the interviews. Everyone I talked to after the screening used words like ‘fabulous’ and ‘incredible.’ Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this masterpiece. …
Dr. Tom Woodward, Director: C.S. Lewis Society
Movie Critics
…‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ is a wry, funny, well-crafted documentary. Ben Stein’s quest for truth is often laugh-out-loud funny. Atheists might want to go out of their way to stop this movie by buying up theaters and perhaps even buy out the distribution itself because ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ may undermine them and bring an end to the academic gulag. Perhaps they should also see the movie so they can come up with more viable arguments than the ones Ben Stein exposes with his careful questioning. …
Ted Baehr, Editor, a
…Something we all need to ask ourselves in life is ‘What am I here for?’ You know, if we are just ‘lucky mud’ then these questions don’t mean much at all. But there is a God and he did create us. So if the Ben Stein movie is asking these questions and if somebody is keeping us from finding out the great answers to the great questions—then maybe they are more than just questions. Maybe they are questions with eternal consequences. …
Peter Furler, Lead Singer, The Newsboys
…If you seek intellectual integrity, see ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’. If you enjoy thought-provoking conversation, bring a friend. If you value free speech, tell everyone you know to meet you at the movies and spend an alarming evening with Ben Stein. ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ could easily be one of the most important movies of the year. …
Denny Rydberg, President, Young Life
…Ben Stein does a great job in this film of showing us this controversy, of how we have lost freedom in our academic inquiry, how scientists are intimidated and have even lost their jobs. Something needs to be done about this and this film is a great example of what can be done. Ben Stein has done his part…. There are things that you can do to help, SEE THIS FILM, bring your friends and bring your church. …
Lee Strobel, Renowned Author of The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith and The Case for the Creator
…Recently, our entire North America executive leadership team had the opportunity to preview ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed.’ As we discussed the movie following the viewing there was unanimous agreement that the movie is very well done and clearly addresses the seemingly unending attack on those who reject the notion of evolution as the cause of our being; that is, evolution, simply defined as life emerging from the ooze. The pervasive bias of many academics against exploring the reality or non-reality of transcendence is pointedly evident in the film. Ben Stein has done an outstanding job of pulling together a cross section of interviews that point out the blatant discrimination against many in the scientific community who would embrace ‘intelligent design’ or even more specific aspects of the reality of God. At the same time his interviews with avowed atheists is well done as he elicits responses that leave grave doubt regarding their position of absolute disbelief in a creator and/or God. We highly recommend the movie to anybody. It is not only informative and challenging—it is fun to watch. …
Ken Smitherman, President, Association of Christian Schools International
…‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ blows the lid off the heavy-handed tactics within the scientific community to crush dissenters who dare to question Darwinism. Ironically, their actions illustrate the dark side of Darwinism. This entertaining yet sobering documentary reveals why civilized societies cannot progress if held captive by Darwinian philosophy, and will decline from moral and just societies to brutal oppression. …
Wendy Wright, President, Concerned Women for America
…‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ is earthshaking. I was absolutely blown away. Ben Stein boldly shines a light of honest inquiry revealing that evolution’s emperor has no clothes. It will have Darwin’s disciples scurrying for the shadows. Everyone in America, even skeptics of Intelligent Design, must see this film. They can’t possibly walk away without at least admitting that the debate over who we are and how we got here is far from over. The controversy will be intense, so get ready for a roller coaster ride. …
J. Matt Barber, Director for Cultural Issues, Concerned Women for America
…Comedian, raconteur, Ben Stein hit the nail right on the funny bone with ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’. He presents a solid case for giving the theory of Intelligent Design a respected place in the classroom alongside Darwin's theory of Evolution. You can argue the two issues, but thinking people should agree that there is no place for censorship in our institutions of higher learning. I'd bet Dick Rolfe's money on this one!…
Dick Rolfe, Co-Founder and CEO, The Dove Foundation
…Ben Stein's ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ packs a powerful and entertaining punch that will shake the foundations of Darwin's fortress within science and education. Those who are suppressing belief in God and trying to make materialism the law of the land should beware. Ben Stein is on a mission to stop the suppression, and millions of Americans are behind him. …
Pat Robertson, Host, The 700 Club, Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN)
…‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ peels back the layers of academic veneer, exposing the evangelistic atheism at the heart of the public promotion of Darwinian evolution. This film should forever put to rest the idea that people who believe in intelligent design are ignorant Neanderthals. Rather, they are prominent, published scholars and scientists who dare to follow the evidence—even when it leads to the acknowledgement that this world did not arise merely by some random combination of time plus chance plus matter. They are scientists committed to the truth, even if it costs them their livelihoods. For those who think that the debate over Darwin has little impact outside high school classrooms, ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ reveals Darwinism's deadly connection to Nazism and the modern-day push toward eugenics and euthanasia. Most importantly, ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ echoes what many academics in my field (rhetoric) have discussed for years—scientists are storytellers. Darwinism is just a persuasively told story that is attempting to close the book on all alternatives. It is my fervent hope that ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ ignites a long-overdue public debate over who gets to decide what counts as science. ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ is the first salvo in that exchange; and it manages to make its point with style, humor, and an unwavering commitment to academic freedom. This film should be a group outing. Bring your friends, and prepare for a long-night's discussion once the credits roll. …
Marc T. Newman, PhD, President, MovieMinistry
…In ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed,’ Ben Stein shows us what happens when academic freedom takes a day off. We should all be listening. …
Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus
…Embracing and endorsing chaos devalues all aspects of life. ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ reveals that truth and scientific discovery has been disregarded by the guardians of atheistic Darwinism. Thank God for a few courageous individuals who dare to ask the difficult questions with no fear of the real answers. …
James Robison, Host of LIFE Today
…‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ is a powerful and riveting film which exposes the Darwinian cover-up of the alternative theory of intelligent design. The campaign of suppression against any rational alternative to evolution is real. With this film, however, evolution’s monopoly on science is officially in jeopardy, and the secularists know it. That’s why they already hate ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed,’ and that’s why every open-minded person will love it. …
Rev. Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman of American Family Association
…We had a chance to see a private, pre-screening of Ben Stein’s upcoming film, ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’. The movie follows Ben’s heroic and shocking journey in which he discovers that students, educators and scientists are being ridiculed and even fired—for the ‘crime’ of merely believing that there is Evidence of ‘Design’ in Creation (God), and that perhaps life is not just the result of accidental, random chance. The movie is powerful… shocking… intense… humorous at times… well worth seeing. This message must be given to the next generation or else…
Jack Brown, CEO, Capitol Prayer
…‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ offers a compelling examination of an important topic for everyone who values the freedom to explore ideas that challenge conventional wisdom. Ben Stein has given us a powerful documentary about the widespread repression of faith-friendly scientific scholarship. Along the way, he also makes a strong case for a return to civil discourse in a time when political correctness often overshadows the search for truth. ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ is an engaging film that features a winning combination of humor and reason with just the right tone needed to bring its significant story to the worldwide audience. …
Ronald D. Ellis, Ph.D., President, California Baptist University
…Propaganda molds minds in a very direct way and that is the logjam in this situation, which the Ben Stein movie, ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed,’ by being entertaining, seeks to break through. I wish it well—I hope under God it will have a great effect just at that point. …
Dr J.I. Packer, Theologian
…Having worked with Ben Stein the columnist as far back as 30 years ago at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, it was a special thrill to see him pick apart political correctness run amok in the science community. EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed is both an eye-opening documentary and riotous entertainment. It’s what you would expect from Michael Moore after being injected with a truth serum. …
Joseph Farah, Editor and CEO, WorldNetDaily.com
…Finally, someone has exposed the head-in-the-sand reaction of mainstream academia when it comes to intellectual honesty and the theological implications of modern science. This film is a wonderfully crafted gift to this needy culture. My only regret is that I didn’t make this film!…
Ed Flanagan, Manitou Motion Picture Company, Ltd.
…It is an important, relevant issue that sits just under the surface for many people in this country and Ben Stein is shining a spotlight on Darwinism and all its faults. That is worthy of our time. Thanks, Ben. …
Neil Master, Master Asset Management
…I want to thank you for your film, ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed.’ I appreciate that you took a thoughtful and sometimes humorous look at a very serious issue. In the cultural debate, there are few things more important than our concept of the origin of life, yet this very topic is suffering from the tyranny of censorship and honest argumentation and has been expelled from the classrooms and laboratories. Honest people have no fear of the truth. Your movie raises the question, ‘Why would there be such opposition to the idea of Intelligent Design?’ For those who rejoice in the truth, there is nothing to lose! If ID is wrong, a healthy debate will point out its errors and if there are holes in Darwin’s theories, then an honest critique will only bring us closer to the truth. ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ is a great first step in tearing down the wall and bringing honest, vigorous debate back to the academies. …
Curtis Martin, President-Fellowship of Catholic University Students
…It is rare to find a movie that is entertaining, educational and motivational, but that is exactly what you get with Ben Stein’s documentary, ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’. Ben puts on his sneakers and interviews highly qualified scientists, academics and journalists who have had their careers ruined because they dared to question the modern day creation story of Darwinian evolution. Equally revealing are Ben’s interviews with the leading academics behind the Darwinian establishment such as Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, William Provine and PZ Myers. This movie only samples the tip of the iceberg of academic and intellectual persecution in the land of ‘freedom’ and may trigger a cultural revolution as more people are emboldened to tell their story and make a stand. …
Dennis Wagner, Executive Director Access Research Network
…As a media literacy education specialist and film/television reviewer, I encourage critical thinking, that is, the questioning of the status quo in all academic fields and aspects of political and public life, religion, science, technology, the arts and culture. The spirit of inquiry and its concrete expression is essential for democracy to thrive. If this film respects every human person's ability to think and to question, thereby promoting our search for truth and meaning, it will renew the debate about academic freedom by initiating a dialogue that inherently respects the dignity, freedom, beliefs and opinions of all those who sit around the table—and beyond it. …
Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP Director, Pauline Center for Media Studies
…‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ has the potential to blow the discussion about Intelligent Design wide open in our culture. Ben Stein’s humor and wit entertain, inform and challenge. It’s high time someone called the academic establishment out on this issue. Every high school and college student (and their parents) need to see this movie!…
Greg Stier, Founder and President, Dare 2 Share Ministries
…I highly recommend Ben Stein’s upcoming film ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed.’ We have personally met with Ben and have screened ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed,’ and we found it to be compelling, insightful and entertaining. ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ has the potential to generate a major debate in the public square which could affect positive change for the vast majority of Americans who believe that faith and science can co-exist, and that true science points to the existence of our Creator. Pastors, teachers, and other leaders must be educated on these issues in order to educate those whom they lead. In addition, the film can be used by Christian students to dialog and witness to friends about God’s involvement in creation and His love for all of us who He created. I encourage you to see the film when it hits America’s movie theaters in April and to invite others to join you. …
Rev. Paul Cedar, Chairman, Mission America Coalition
…Ben Stein did a great thing by combining several key issues into his movie ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’. Free speech and free thinking are at risk and so these have to be mentioned with regards to a discussion of intelligent design and life's origin. But further, can we be free to explore issues in the public classrooms today. What if science data reveal something about our origins and THAT tells us something smart about how we got here. As a Ph.D. biologist I'm thrilled to see that we can challenge long standing dogma and set the record straight. Did Darwin have an electron microscope? Did he analyze the genetic code? Did he ever in his wildest imagination think of the inner workings of a plant or animal cell as a micro-factory made of intricate micro machines? No, Darwin couldn't, but we have the evidence today. And Ben Stein has sent us a chilling wake up call. If we don't listen, we should all move back into the dark ages of the Berlin era, live behind a wall, trapped from attaining true freedom. It's time to put intelligence back into an objective look at what the data tell us. It's time to open the dialog in the classrooms. The time has come… thanks Ben!…
Dr. T. Peterson, Silver Spring, MD
…This was the most interesting and eye opening film I have seen in a decade. Ben Stein has some tough skin to put his neck on the line like this. I love it. This film is amazing. …
Brock Gill, Illusionist/TV host for Discovery Channel’s documentary series “The Miracles of Jesus”
…‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ is a documentary that deals with two issues: academic freedom and intelligent design. It does an excellent job of showing how professors in academia and journalists in the media find themselves ‘expelled’ if they even give a hearing to intelligent design. It also provides a concise and accurate picture of the research behind intelligent design. As a talk show host I am often frustrated by scientists who cannot communicate clearly. And as someone who has been writing about the origins debate for over 30 years ago, I have been frustrated about many presentations that are not accurate. ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed’ avoids both of those mistakes and clearly informs the audience about the nature of this debate. …
Kerby Anderson, National Director of Probe Ministries and Host of Point of View radio talk show
…It was fantastic! Thanks so much for inviting me. I was very impressed with the message and how it was handled and how the audience with many non-believers reacted so positively to the movie. [I talk to several people who clearly were Christian or even religious.] I have already started getting the word out at MBC. I talked about it in two large classes on Sunday (about 100 people) and will talk about it again this weekend at a Social (about 150 people). I will also let our Apologetics group know for Creation. …
Joseph Bardwell, Head of “In Jesus Name Ministries”

Production Information

There is a nation today in which scientists are being silenced and ousted, in which teachers and professors teach a theory as indisputable fact. No, this isn’t a Third World dictatorship, it’s America, as recorded in Ben Stein’s controversial, satirical and entertaining documentary “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed.”

Stein, the well-known television personality, actor and former White House presidential speechwriter, takes a journey across America and to Europe to explore the debate between proponents of intelligent design and Darwinian evolution. What he discovers is an elitist scientific establishment that has traded in its skepticism for dogma.

Even worse, Stein uncovers a long line of scientists and philosophers who have had their reputations destroyed and their careers ruined by a scientific establishment that allows absolutely no dissent from Charles Darwin’s theory of random mutation and natural selection. What freedom-loving American wouldn’t be outraged? Says Stein, who is also a lawyer, economist, author and social commentator,

“Big Science in this area has lost its way. Scientists are supposed to be allowed to follow the evidence wherever it may lead, no matter what the implications are. Freedom of inquiry has been greatly compromised, and this is not only anti-science, it’s anti-American.”

Hosted and co-written by Stein, “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed” is a Premise Media Corporation presentation of a Rampant Films Production. It is directed by Nathan Frankowski, co-written by Kevin Miller and produced by Logan Craft, Walt Ruloff and John Sullivan. The associate producer is Mark Mathis. “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed” is being marketed by Motive Entertainment, which has spearheaded the grassroots marketing for blockbusters like “The Passion of the Christ,” “Polar Express” and “The Chronicles of Narnia,” and is being distributed by Rocky Mountain Pictures. The film is rated PG.

INTELLIGENT DESIGN

“EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed” uncovers that educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired in some cases for believing there is evidence of intelligent design in nature, challenging the idea that life is the result of random chance. What is intelligent design? It is a theory that attempts to empirically detect if the apparent design in nature acknowledged by virtually all biologists is genuine design or the product of an intelligent cause. Darwinists, on the other hand, believe that all the myriad forms of life are the product of an undirected process: natural selection of the fittest acting on random mutations within organisms.

This documentary rejects the notion that the case is closed in favor of Darwinism and exposes the widespread persecution of scientists and educators who are pursuing legitimate, opposing scientific views to the reigning orthodoxy. At stake are two very consequential views of existence: Is life intelligently designed and purposeful? Or is it random and purposeless?

Despite the seriousness of its topic, this is no boring academic thesis but a lively, entertaining and often humorous film that goes far beyond the static talking-heads format one might expect. Director Nathan Frankowski said,

“We didn’t want to take ourselves too seriously. But at the same time when we needed to be serious, we were.”

THE EXPELLED

The creators of “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed” crossed the globe over a two-year period interviewing scores of scientists, doctors, philosophers and public leaders on both sides of the divide. Among them is Richard Sternberg, a double Ph.D. biologist who allowed a peer-reviewed research paper describing the evidence for intelligence in the universe to be published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington.

Not long after publication, officials from the Smithsonian Institution, where Sternberg was a research fellow, and the National Center for Science Education began a coordinated smear and intimidation campaign to get the promising young scientist expelled from his position. The NCSE is, according to its Web site, a “nationally recognized clearinghouse for information and advice to keep evolution in the science classroom and ‘scientific creationism’ out.”

This attack on scientific freedom was so egregious that it prompted a Congressional investigation and report entitled Intolerance and the Politicization of Science at the Smithsonian, spearheaded by Rep. Mark Souder, Republican from Indiana, who was also interviewed for the film. The Smithsonian failed to respond to repeated requests for an interview and ejected the “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed” crew from its buildings and front steps when they showed up to pursue the issue.

Stein also interviewed other scientists such as astrobiologist Guillermo Gonzalez, who was denied tenure at Iowa State University in spite of his extraordinary record of achievement. Gonzalez made the mistake of documenting the design he had observed in the universe.

There are others, such as Caroline Crocker, a brilliant biology teacher at George Mason University who was forced out of the university for briefly discussing problems with Darwinian theory and for telling the students that some scientists believe there is evidence of design in the universe. The list goes on and on, including some who agreed to be interviewed only if they could remain anonymous and be filmed in silhouette for fear of being stigmatized by their colleagues.

Unlike some other documentary films, “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed” doesn’t just talk to people representing one side of the story. The film interviews scientists such as Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion; P.Z. Myers, influential biologist and atheist blogger; and Eugenie Scott, head of the National Center for Science Education. Others interviewed include Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, who says the only thing intelligent in intelligent design is its name, and Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, who is, not surprisingly, skeptical that scientists are in fact being persecuted for not strictly hewing to the Darwinian line.

(Some interviewees who could not be included “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed” for reasons of space will be included in the DVD release.)

Walt J. Ruloff
Producer Walt Ruloff

Walt Ruloff, co-founder of Premise Media and one of the film’s producers explains:

“In ‘EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed,’ we don’t resort to manipulating our interviews for the purpose of achieving the shock effect, something that has become common in documentary film these days. People will be stunned to actually find out what elitist scientists proclaim, which is that a large majority of Americans are simpletons who believe in a fairy tale. Premise Media took on this difficult mission because we believe the greatest asset of humanity is our freedom to explore and discover truth.”

GENESIS OF “EXPELLED”

“EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed” began with an observation made by Ruloff, a successful computer software entrepreneur who comes from a high-tech world in which innovation is constant and eagerly sought. In stark contrast, he noticed, the scientific and academic communities were deeply resistant to innovation, in this case innovation that might revise Darwin’s theory that random mutation and natural selection drive all variation in life forms. To explore this phenomenon, he joined with Logan Craft, a businessman, producer and social commentator with a media background, and John Sullivan, a successful music and commercial producer, to produce “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed.” Craft became interested in the project because…

A. Logan Craft
Producer A. Logan Craft
“I knew that this issue of evolution was foundational, it was the backdrop to a lot of other discussions that revolved around who we are as people, what our identity is, where do we draw an understanding of who were are and what our value and significance are. These questions are answered very differently by secularists and people who hold religious beliefs.”

Sullivan, who had a long-term philosophical interest in evolution, also saw the documentary’s commercial appeal.

“When we started, we didn’t know which way the film was going to go because it’s unscripted, but we did know that this was an issue that the faith-based community was always engaged in. We’re hoping that it takes root in that community, which is a very large market, but it doesn’t just relate to the faith-based markets. We also have seen good response from the college age group and across the board.”

Having determined to make the documentary, the producers went looking for someone to carry the film as its host and guide…

“someone who was smart and funny with high credibility and who was willing to go on a journey,” Craft said.

They arranged a meeting with Ben Stein and “within the first few minutes of meeting Ben, he said, ‘Sign me up, where do we go?’”

Stein proved to be incisive, humorous and as demanding an interviewer of intelligent design proponents as he was of evolutionists. Director Frankowski said,

“He wasn’t going to take the intelligent design side just because this is what the movie is about. Even when he interviewed ID guys he was kind of hostile to them. He wanted to put the heat on them and see if they could come out of the fire.”

When Frankowski came aboard the production, he admitted that he was a little worried at first.

“I didn’t know what kind of movie they wanted me to make. I told John (Sullivan) that I didn’t want to make a right-wing propaganda piece or an agenda piece. I wanted to honestly explore the issue and be open to whatever we found, and he assured me that he was open to that.

Ultimately this film is about freedom. I don’t want it to be about one side or the other. It’s not about right or wrong, but it’s about the freedom to pursue a line of thought.”

Echoing that though, Craft said:

“The film is about the issue of freedom of inquiry and freedom of speech in the United States and in the worldwide scientific and educational communities. And the film takes on that issue through the lens the controversy of evolution.”

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Filming began in the summer of 2006 when the “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed” crew traveled to Oxford, England to interview Richard Dawkins, author, Oxford University professor and prominent atheist, and John Lennox, a mathematician and author who lectures on science and religion at Oxford. It was the first stop on a two-year journey that would take the filmmakers all over the United States and Europe. Among its U.S. locations were Washington, D.C., California, Texas, Florida, Iowa, Virginia, Washington and New York.

In Europe, “EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed” traveled to Berlin; London; Paris; Venice; Oxford; Kent, where Charles Darwin had his home and wrote On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection; Dachau, the infamous Nazi concentration camp in Germany; and Hadamar, also in Germany, where the Nazis pursued the now-discredited theory of social Darwinism through a eugenics program that exterminated physically and mentally disabled people.

One of the central motifs of the film is the Berlin Wall, which was built in 1961 by the East German Communist government to keep its citizens from escaping to the West and to limit the infiltration of ideas from West into East Germany. For the filmmakers, the wall is a metaphor for the barrier that the scientific community has erected to lock out any new, non-Darwinian ideas concerning evolution and intelligent design.

The film’s credits are incorporated into archival footage of the Berlin Wall’s construction, and Stein interviews mathematician, philosopher and intelligent design proponent David Berlinski in front of a remnant of the barrier, which was torn down in 1989. The film ends by pairing President Ronald Reagan’s speech in Berlin in 1987, in which he famously said: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” with Ben Stein’s call for the scientific and educational communities to tear down the walls of orthodoxy that prevent a balanced exploration of the origins of life.

Director Frankowski wanted this film to have a unique visual energy that other documentaries don’t have. One challenge, he said, was that most of his subjects are scientists who lack the on-screen vibrancy that a movie star would have. “What they’re saying is really interesting,” Frankowski said, “but how do we bring that energy to the screen? So I wanted to use the camera to bring out the energy” that the interviewees didn’t necessarily display on their own.

One way to accomplish this was his use of multiple high-definition cameras to shoot interviews.

“I wanted to have multiple cameras to pick up different moments and angles. We had a lot of tight shots on people’s faces to really feel the emotion. At the same time we could focus on other things—what their hands were doing, were they twitching, for example.”

He also shot through doorways, books on a library shelf and other framing devices “so you have a sense that you’re spying, that you’re not supposed to be hearing these kinds of things. And it worked.”

In addition, cameraman Ben Huddleston created a piece of equipment called the High Roller that added motion to the image. A variation on the dolly, it mounted a camera on what looked like a mini-skateboard running along small four-foot rails that sat on top of the camera tripod. “It enabled us to give a little motion to the interviews, to keep things fluid and intense,” Frankowski said.

The quest for movement and energy continued in the post-production phase as well, when Frankowski and Editor Simon Tondeur created montages and incorporated archival images from B&W ’50s educational films to humorous effect.

A high point in the production for Frankowski came near the end of filming, in the beautiful cathedral-like space of the Natural History Museum in London, home to the Darwin Center and repository of specimens collected by Darwin himself. Associate producer Mark Mathis was able to have the museum closed to visitors during the filming. It was here that Stein was filmed walking somberly through the exhibition halls reflecting on the journey that he had taken. The very next day the museum was the site of the climactic meeting of minds between Stein and Richard Dawkins. Frankowski said,

“Throughout the production we were waiting for these two sides to collide. Our two power players were coming together, and it was a great interview. There was respect on both sides.”

Ben Stein

About Ben Stein

Ben Stein has had what may be the most diverse career of any public personality now working, to which he is adding up to the present day. To start with, he is a New York Times columnist on economics and business, a regular commentator on CBS Sunday Morning and a very frequent commentator on Fox News and CNN. He was for 860 episodes the Emmy-winning host of the multi-Emmy Award–winning (eight, since it first aired in 1997) game show, Win Ben Stein’s Money, on Comedy Central, as well as the Comedy Central talk show, “Turn Ben Stein On.”

Stein is a native of Washington, D.C., and grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he attended school with future notables Sylvester Stallone, Carl Bernstein, Goldie Hawn, and Connie Chung. Stein’s father was the well-known economist and public policy commentator and wit, Herbert Stein.

Stein is a graduate of Columbia University’s undergraduate college, where he earned a B.A. in 1966, with honors in economics. In those years, he was active in the civil rights movement, working in many locales to enfranchise African-Americans as voters and to secure equal rights for them under law. After college, he worked for a year as an economist with the Department of Commerce, and then graduated from Yale Law School in 1970 as valedictorian of his class (by election of his classmates). He has served as a poverty lawyer; a trial lawyer in false and deceptive advertising cases; and as a teacher educating students about the political and social content of film and TV at American University in Washington, D.C., the University of California at Santa Cruz, and at Pepperdine Law School, where he also taught securities law for five years.

In 1973, Stein became a speechwriter for Richard Nixon at the White House and then continued that work for Gerald Ford when he became President. Stein became a columnist for the Wall Street Journal in 1974. In 1976, he moved to Hollywood where he became a screenwriter, TV writer, novelist, and syndicated columnist. He worked for Norman Lear’s Tandem/TAT production company, where he helped to create the cult hit “Fernwood 2Night.” He is the author of 23 books, including the acclaimed diary of his first year in Hollywood, DREEMZ, the analysis of the political attitudes of Hollywood; The View from Sunset Boulevard, the tale of drug addiction and ambition in Los Angeles; and ’Ludes, on which the movie “The Boost” was based. He has also written extensively about personal and financial self-help issues in the classic, Bunkhouse Logic; and a guide to economic success over a lifetime, Financial Passages. Most recently, Stein has authored a book about the trials and triumphs of being a father of a young son. The book is called Tommy and Me.

He is also the author of the humorous best sellers, How To Ruin Your Life, How to Ruin Your Love Life and How to Ruin Your Financial Life. These humorous self-help books are already cult classics.

Stein is the writer of the outline for the ABC miniseries “Amerika,” and is also the author of the outline and the producer of the esteemed television movie “Murder in Mississippi,” about the martyred civil rights workers Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner. Stein has also written extensively about financial fraud and ethical duties in finance—mostly for Barron’s, but also in a book about the Milken/Drexel fraud, A License to Steal; for a financial Web site called TheStreet.com; for New York magazine; and for the New York Times Magazine, among other publications.

Ben SteinIn 1986, Stein became an “actor,” when he played a teacher with a monotonous tone of voice in the classic comedy hit “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” He was a recurring character, also playing a teacher, in “The Wonder Years” for three years, and has appeared in about 30 movies and TV series. He is a frequent speaker to university and business groups, where he combines his comedic abilities with his political and economic insights and blends them into an appeal for a rebirth of devotion to those closest to us.

Stein lives in Beverly Hills, California, with his wife, Alexandra; his son, Thomas; and many dogs and cats. He is very active in fund-raising for animal rights and children’s rights charities in Los Angeles and throughout the country.

Producer Bios

John Sullivan

John Sullivan—Mr. Sullivan’s introduction to the entertainment industry came through the live music industry where he provided marketing and logistic leadership for over 125 headline concerts generating over $100 mm in revenue. In 1996, he produced one of the first live internet concert experience with the Vans’ Warped Tour, which was featured on MTV. This experience led him to shift focus to visual media creating multiple award winning short films and corporate communications media. He and his wife live outside Los Angeles with their twin daughters.

Walt J. Ruloff

Walt J. Ruloff—Mr. Ruloff is the CEO of Premise Media Corporation. Mr. Ruloff served as the founding CEO of Intertrans Logistics Solutions Ltd. (ITLS.) Under his leadership the software company grew from 10 developers and managers to 400 employees within 7 years. The company’s logistics applications are the worldwide defacto standard for Fortune 200 companies. In 1998, Mr. sold the company, and went on to establish a non-profit foundation and family portfolio before focusing his creative skills in creating Premise Media. He and his wife have four boys.

Mark Mathis

Mark Mathis—Prior to entering documentary film, Mark spent more than two decades working in other high-profile media careers. After excelling as an award-winning TV-news reporter and anchor for nearly ten years, Mark formed his own consulting and training firm, Mathis Media, LLC. In 2002 Mark published the highly acclaimed Feeding the Media Beast: An Easy Recipe for Great Publicity (Purdue University Press), now in its fourth U.S. printing and published in India, Russia and China. Mark has provided consulting and training services to such varied and distinguished organizations as The National Football League, Victoria’s Secret Catalogue, the Independent Petroleum Association of America, America Online, Saudi Research and Marketing and many others. He has also appeared on the big screen, playing an ABC News Reporter in the 2007 release of “The Astronaut Farmer.”

A. Logan Craft

A. Logan Craft—Mr. Craft is Chairman of the Board of Premise Media Corporation and an Executive Producer. He was in commodity-based businesses before moving into the field of venture capital and media, and is the creator, producer, and on-air host of a previously aired regional television program, “Church and State with Logan Craft: Exploring Religion and Politics.” The program featured a wide variety of prominent politicians, activists, and religious leaders. Mr. Craft also co-produced and co-hosted commercial outdoor television programs. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a business degree in Marketing; he also holds two Masters Degrees. Apart from his involvement in media, he is active in civic, charitable and religious activities.