I really, really like Ben Stein. I used to love his column in The American Spectator years ago (it’s been a decade or more since I’ve looked at that magazine), and Win Ben Stein’s Money was hilarious.

So I was really excited to learn about his new movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. From the radio ad, it sounded like an assault against the academic left generally. When I went to the website for the movie, I was amused by his rebellious English schoolboy- AC/DC – Angus Young look. I thought it entirely appropriate. The theme of the website (above) captures the rebellion against authority inherent in the topic. I was disappointed to learn that the movie concerned squelching of dissent on only one topic: evolution.

I’m also frustrated by some of the charges being leveled against Stein and some of the others involved in the film. Several scientists interviewed for the film apparently claim they were misled about the nature of the interview and/or movie . When one of the interviewed professors was refused entry to a screening in Minnesota , accounts of the incident varied. The blog at the movie’s website said the event was invitation only, but Richard Dawkins claimed it was open to anyone who ordered tickets over the Internet.

Stein claims in the linked NY Times article that he did not deceive anyone personally, and the allegations are that the producers, not Stein — who conducted the interviews — were the deceivers. Still, I’d be very disappointed to learn that the producers of this movie and/or Stein engaged in Micheal Moore-like tactics.