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Flawed, but Thought-Provoking
by Michael M (movies profile)
Jul 2, 2008
19
of
22 people found this review helpful
Let me say first that I teach introductory composition courses to college students, and I've twice decided to show this film to my classes. Their assignment is to analyze and do further research on one of the themes from the film--such as the growing apathy of many Americans, or racism in the media--as well as research Moore's facts and figures. Most often, the response of my students--most of them probably politically moderate--is very similar to mine (although I work hard not to impress my own views upon them, and encourage debate and discussion).
Emotionally, this film is very well-made. It's compelling and thought-provoking, and I doubt even Rush Limbaugh could watch the footage from the Columbine shooting and not get teary-eyed. It's also very funny at times--but this film is not without its problems. Factually speaking, Moore has quite a fit of fun with the numbers. Whenever he talks about crime rates, a bit of research will show that his figures are either misleading, or downright wrong. For instance, Moore cites the number of gun murders in other countries (always choosing their lowest numbers), then shows a number for gun murders in the United States that is not only outrageously high, but is itself significantly higher than what is probably true (according to the FBI's figures).
Moore effectively shows how hysterical, hypocritical and emotionally unhinged we Americans can be, but he doesn't really propose why. An absurd cartoon in the middle of the film (that falsely suggests a link between the NRA and the KKK, when in fact my own research-- and that of my students--suggests that the two groups have probably always been enemies) seems to propose that white people are simply hysterical, apathetic, gun-crazy, and racist by nature. What a strange, oddly racist and unhelpful suggestion!
Overall, I would say that this film is worth seeing in that it brings to light the issues of apathy and racism in this culture, relating to our paranoia and gun obsession (which, Moore effectively proves, has nothing to do with music, video games, movies, or religion). But just remember to take what he says with a grain of salt--especially concerning his facts and figures. |
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