Kirby Dick makes documentaries, but you suspect he’d rather be a private detective, chomping on takeout food behind the wheel of a Taurus. His last effort, 2006’s This Film Is Not Yet Rated, exposed the shadowy MPAA, a group whose unidentified members tell us which onscreen sexual couplings are okay for teens. Upping the ante considerably, Dick now has closeted gay politicians in his sights: Outrage is tinged with an inflated sense of its own importance, detailing the “brilliantly orchestrated conspiracy” that has most media sources complicit in shielding gay conservatives from the ramifications of their hidden lifestyles.
Does anyone, infamous or not, deserve to be outed? A tricky question, with the respectful impulse leaning toward discretion. (I must be part of the media conspiracy.) To Dick’s credit, though, he develops a thorough, reasoned argument—via the comments of, among others, BlogActive’s Michael Rogers and Larry Kramer (“Activism is about anger,” the latter says)—that those who harm the LGBT community with prohibitive legislation don’t deserve protection. New Jersey’s former gov Jim McGreevey speaks sincerely about his resignation (so does his bitter ex-wife); Barney Frank is, per usual, a blast of honesty.
But the hot stuff here is the collection of denials, like shoe-tapper Larry Craig’s “I don’t do those things.” Dick breaks no new ground, but Outrage builds what must be the most damning profile yet on current Florida Governor Charlie Crist Jr., spoken of as a serious presidential contender for 2012. Airline travel to exotic locales with a male aide is documented; an ex-girlfriend pleads no comment but promises a scoop “in ten years.” And here’s Crist getting married to a statuesque brunet. A door closes them from view. Outrage isn’t after punitive embarrassment, but the gloves definitely come off.