More than a few Hollywood heads were scratched when Paramount annouced Thursday that it had picked up worldwide distribution rights to Davis Guggenheim’s “Waiting for Superman,” a documentary chronicling the sorry state of the U.S. public education system, in advance of its Sundance world premiere.

Sure, Guggenheim’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” released in 2006 by Paramount Vantage, grossed nearly $50 million, won two Oscars and made unlikely movie stars out of Al Gore and PowerPoint. But that film managed a unique feat among documentaries, riding a political and celebrity-fueled zeitgeist (in that case, liberal anger over the Bush administration’s environmental policies) in a way that caused moviegoers to show up as much to support the cause as to be entertained by the content.

A studied expose of failing school systems probably won’t enjoy the same buzz factor among Huffington Post readers or Prius-driving celebrities, so Paramount has its work cut out for it in making this wonky subject matter appealing to more than just policy nerds. But the film, which we caught Friday night at its premiere, could find an equally enthusiastic audience on the other side of the political spectrum: In many ways, “Superman” might be as much a conservative call to action on education reform as “Truth” was a rallying cry for Democrats on the environment.

The film takes an even-keeled look at the issue, and its subjects, from educators to frustrated parents to Bill Gates (who showed up for a post-screening Q&A), espouse no political leanings. But from our seat, at least, there is a clear villain in “Superman,” and it’s the various Democrat-supported teachers unions that the film presents as the most powerful and entrenched impedement to real education reform.