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Michael Moore Pros And Cons: Film Reviews, Books, Bowling For Columbine, Fahrenheit 911, Acclaim, Criticism And Anti Michael Moore
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Published: October 30, 2007
If the name Michael Moore is brought up in a room full of people, one can never tell how the room will respond. However, it is quite certain there will be a response. Michael Moore is one of those media figures that inspires either love or hate in media consumers, with very few indifferent opinions.
The writer and documentary filmmaker has much acclaim to his credit. His 2002 documentary, Bowling for Columbine, won an Oscar, among other prizes that year. In 2004, Fahrenheit 911 was nominated for an Oscar and won Best Picture at that year's Cannes Film Festival. The film reviews are overwhelmingly favorable. His books are consistently bestsellers and award winners. Yet, criticism regarding the documentaries and books of Michael Moore remains singularly vitriolic.
The 2002 documentary, Bowling for Columbine, was Michael Moore's indictment of American gun policy, set against the tragic student shootings at a suburban Colorado high school. The criticism of Bowling for Columbine is wide in range, but the scene featuring Michael Moore questioning Charlton Heston, in the home of the latter, is the subject of the most intense remarks. Heston appears flabbergasted, if not disoriented, when questioned about the tact of holding a pro-gun rally in Denver, shortly after the tragedy in Columbine.
More often than not, criticism regarding this scene is more over the tactics of Michael Moore, rather than over the factual content of the film. However, once the film began receiving critical acclaim, numerous individuals started to turn up on news broadcasts questioning the film's factual basis. One anti Michael Moore critic proclaimed the Heston speech featured in Bowling for Columbine took place at a different time and place than the movie suggests. Further, those responsible for this and other claims of falsehood tend to come from partial corners.
Michael Moore has taken to addressing claims of fraudulence in numerous ways. He posts itemized lists of these claims, along with the factual basis for the claims in question, for all of his films on michaelmoore.com. For the above example, Moore addresses the criticism by linking to the transcript of the Denver speech. On the website, Michael Moore invites readers to report anything in the news media that smacks of anti Michael Moore rhetoric, with the assurance that he will post his response. Moore has also proclaimed a $10,000 reward to the individual that can document factual errors in his films. To date, the reward has not been claimed.
Perhaps it is the method of Michael Moore that invites such spurious claims. TIME Magazine describes the method of Michael Moore in five parts: Comedy, Tragedy, Infiltration, Confrontation and Speculation. The Michael Moore documentary, Fahrenheit 911, certainly follows this formula. In Fahrenheit 911, Michael Moore lashes out at the Bush White House, the Congress, and the American entry into war with Iraq. The film reviews were favorable and the box-office take set a record for a documentary. However, anti Michael Moore pundits were quick to take umbrage with the anti Iraq War documentary. Moore has brushed aside the harshest criticism with a detailed posting of his sources on his website.
The best-written criticism of Michael Moore, albeit a longwinded one, came from Christopher Hitchens in the wake of the Fahrenheit 911 release. The erudite commentator, regarding Fahrenheit 911, wrote, "[Moore's film] is a sinister exercise in moral frivolity, crudely disguised as an exercise in seriousness." Hitchens' complaints are too many to list here, but upon reading his article; it seems he is more frustrated by Moore's presentation of the facts, rather than with the facts themselves. Hitchens complains Moore's presentation trivializes the deeper issues of Middle East diplomacy and the American President's ineptitude, in order to inspire an emotional response from viewers.
Indeed, Fahrenheit 911 is an effort by Michael Moore to sway opinion. The effort is overt and intentional on the part of the director. Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 911 are purposefully illustrating these controversial subjects from Moore's personal perspective. Essentially, critics of Michael Moore and his documentaries are angered because he argues emotionally, and not intellectually, as the critics would prefer. It seems, then, that it is the partiality of Michael Moore that inspires criticism of his films, but the facts within them appear to be sound.
Sources:
Kluger, Jeffrey. "Michael Moore's New Diagnosis." 17 May 2007. Time.com. 25 Sept. 2007. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,162 2178,00.html.
Corliss, Richard. "The World According to Michael." 12 July 2004. Time.com. 25 Sept. 2007. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,9 94626,00.html.
Hitchens, Christopher. "Unfairenheit 9/11: The Lies of Michael Moore." Fighting Words. 21 June 2004. slate.com. 25 Sept. 2007. http://www.slate.com/id/2102723/.
"The Moore Method." 12 July 2004. Time.com. 25 Sept. 2007. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,9 94627,00.html.
Moore, Michael. "How to Deal with Lies and the Lying Liars When They Lie about ‘Bowling for Columbine.'" Facts in Mike's Films. Michaelmoore.com. 26 Sept. 2007.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/wackoattacko/.
"The Following is the Line By Line Factual Backup for ‘Fahrenheit 9/11.'" Michaelmoore.com. 26 Sept. 2007. http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/f911reader /index.php?id=16.
The 2002 documentary, Bowling for Columbine, was Michael Moore's indictment of American gun policy, set against the tragic student shootings at a suburban Colorado high school. The criticism of Bowling for Columbine is wide in range, but the scene featuring Michael Moore questioning Charlton Heston, in the home of the latter, is the subject of the most intense remarks. Heston appears flabbergasted, if not disoriented, when questioned about the tact of holding a pro-gun rally in Denver, shortly after the tragedy in Columbine.
More often than not, criticism regarding this scene is more over the tactics of Michael Moore, rather than over the factual content of the film. However, once the film began receiving critical acclaim, numerous individuals started to turn up on news broadcasts questioning the film's factual basis. One anti Michael Moore critic proclaimed the Heston speech featured in Bowling for Columbine took place at a different time and place than the movie suggests. Further, those responsible for this and other claims of falsehood tend to come from partial corners.
Michael Moore has taken to addressing claims of fraudulence in numerous ways. He posts itemized lists of these claims, along with the factual basis for the claims in question, for all of his films on michaelmoore.com. For the above example, Moore addresses the criticism by linking to the transcript of the Denver speech. On the website, Michael Moore invites readers to report anything in the news media that smacks of anti Michael Moore rhetoric, with the assurance that he will post his response. Moore has also proclaimed a $10,000 reward to the individual that can document factual errors in his films. To date, the reward has not been claimed.
Perhaps it is the method of Michael Moore that invites such spurious claims. TIME Magazine describes the method of Michael Moore in five parts: Comedy, Tragedy, Infiltration, Confrontation and Speculation. The Michael Moore documentary, Fahrenheit 911, certainly follows this formula. In Fahrenheit 911, Michael Moore lashes out at the Bush White House, the Congress, and the American entry into war with Iraq. The film reviews were favorable and the box-office take set a record for a documentary. However, anti Michael Moore pundits were quick to take umbrage with the anti Iraq War documentary. Moore has brushed aside the harshest criticism with a detailed posting of his sources on his website.
The best-written criticism of Michael Moore, albeit a longwinded one, came from Christopher Hitchens in the wake of the Fahrenheit 911 release. The erudite commentator, regarding Fahrenheit 911, wrote, "[Moore's film] is a sinister exercise in moral frivolity, crudely disguised as an exercise in seriousness." Hitchens' complaints are too many to list here, but upon reading his article; it seems he is more frustrated by Moore's presentation of the facts, rather than with the facts themselves. Hitchens complains Moore's presentation trivializes the deeper issues of Middle East diplomacy and the American President's ineptitude, in order to inspire an emotional response from viewers.
Indeed, Fahrenheit 911 is an effort by Michael Moore to sway opinion. The effort is overt and intentional on the part of the director. Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 911 are purposefully illustrating these controversial subjects from Moore's personal perspective. Essentially, critics of Michael Moore and his documentaries are angered because he argues emotionally, and not intellectually, as the critics would prefer. It seems, then, that it is the partiality of Michael Moore that inspires criticism of his films, but the facts within them appear to be sound.
Sources:
Kluger, Jeffrey. "Michael Moore's New Diagnosis." 17 May 2007. Time.com. 25 Sept. 2007. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,162 2178,00.html.
Corliss, Richard. "The World According to Michael." 12 July 2004. Time.com. 25 Sept. 2007. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,9 94626,00.html.
Hitchens, Christopher. "Unfairenheit 9/11: The Lies of Michael Moore." Fighting Words. 21 June 2004. slate.com. 25 Sept. 2007. http://www.slate.com/id/2102723/.
"The Moore Method." 12 July 2004. Time.com. 25 Sept. 2007. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,9 94627,00.html.
Moore, Michael. "How to Deal with Lies and the Lying Liars When They Lie about ‘Bowling for Columbine.'" Facts in Mike's Films. Michaelmoore.com. 26 Sept. 2007.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/wackoattacko/.
"The Following is the Line By Line Factual Backup for ‘Fahrenheit 9/11.'" Michaelmoore.com. 26 Sept. 2007. http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/f911reader /index.php?id=16.
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