We all know where Michael Moore stands on political issues. We've known this since his films gained popularity about 10 years or so ago. He's already ripped on capitalism in his previous movies. If you're a conservative, you clearly don't like him or his viewpoints, and that's OK. That's your right and this is America. That being said, I am going to judge this movie on its merits. I believe that if a conservative filmmaker in the same vein as Moore, but of course with opposing views could also make very good movies, I would also give them strong reviews if their films were well-made.
This film has its share of humorous moments, as Moore is wonderful at editing clips of old, random video footage to make you giggle. However, just like in his other films, these clips are used sporadically to break the tension about very serious and heartbreaking subject matter. You sometimes wonder if some of these heartbreaking interviews with people are staged, as Moore seems to be able to get them to cry on demand, yet they always appear genuine.
The one major flaw of this film is that Moore does not propose any solutions to the flaws of capitalism. He chooses not to delve deeper into the subject matter, and instead uses the 2 hours to simply complain about some folks being "rich and powerful." I feel that "Sicko" and "Bowling" did a much better job of looking at solutions, along with questioning why the problem is such a problem, rather than just complaining. If Moore believes in flat out socialism then he should say it and make a strong argument for it. It's easier for someone to just pick out the flaws of someone else's solution rather than come out with your own, and that's pretty much what Moore does here.
All in all, I still give it a 7/10 because it is well-made and Moore does bring up a topic that the general movie going public never really bothers to discuss. It's certainly very controversial, but I give him credit for trying to get a meaningful dialogue going. He just could have had the guts to take this subject matter to a deeper level.
This film has its share of humorous moments, as Moore is wonderful at editing clips of old, random video footage to make you giggle. However, just like in his other films, these clips are used sporadically to break the tension about very serious and heartbreaking subject matter. You sometimes wonder if some of these heartbreaking interviews with people are staged, as Moore seems to be able to get them to cry on demand, yet they always appear genuine.
The one major flaw of this film is that Moore does not propose any solutions to the flaws of capitalism. He chooses not to delve deeper into the subject matter, and instead uses the 2 hours to simply complain about some folks being "rich and powerful." I feel that "Sicko" and "Bowling" did a much better job of looking at solutions, along with questioning why the problem is such a problem, rather than just complaining. If Moore believes in flat out socialism then he should say it and make a strong argument for it. It's easier for someone to just pick out the flaws of someone else's solution rather than come out with your own, and that's pretty much what Moore does here.
All in all, I still give it a 7/10 because it is well-made and Moore does bring up a topic that the general movie going public never really bothers to discuss. It's certainly very controversial, but I give him credit for trying to get a meaningful dialogue going. He just could have had the guts to take this subject matter to a deeper level.