It is almost impossible to separate a Michael Moore documentary from the controversy that inevitably accompanies it. Accusations are made, supporters leap to his defense, and the pro- and anti-Moore camps prepare for battle.
None of which has anything to do with ‘Sicko’ as a movie.
I believe that a documentary should inform, entertain, and make you think. ‘Sicko’ succeeds on the first count, although I suspect that there is more new information here for an American audience than a Canadian one. As for entertainment, you may find Moore’s style either amusing or annoying, but he is rarely dull.
‘Sicko’ definitely made me think. Not just about health care but about the broader social issues Moore raises. What are our priorities? How much responsibility are we willing to accept for each other’s well being, and what does that say about us as a society? As Moore asks in despair of his fellow Americans, "Who are we?"
It’s a question we should all ask ourselves once in a while. Four stars.
(for Murray Townsend's opinion, check our column in the Milton Champion)
I thought that this review pretty much accurately summed up my feelings about Michael Moore and his propaganda:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1563758/story.jhtml
(note my usage of 'propaganda' is apt according to google's definition of the word: "information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause")
All I can tell you is this: I was in hospital a year and a half ago with acute, unexplained kidney failure. I was in for five days, in a semi-private room at Oakville-Trafalgar, had two nephrologists working on me, had a kidney biopsy and about a litre or so of blood extracted for various tests. The only bill I got was for the TV in my room.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I are both self-employed. If we lived in the U.S., we would have lost our house.
If Moore is using the facts that will most effectively spread this particular message and glossing over the flaws in other systems to make his point, more power to him. He cites no facts or figures that are untrue or undocumented, the thrust of his argument is sound, and his only motive is to affect positive change in his country.
The same cannot be said of his opponents.