Review of Bowling for Columbine (2002) by Adam F — 20 Dec 2012

While "Bowling for Columbine" is a little flawed, it's a sharp satire that is funny, thought provoking and very smart. This isn't only a film that talks about gun control and the massacre at Columbine high school, it also talks about poverty, the nature of youth's dissatisfaction with the world around them, coping with frustration and some of the things that makes the United States similar and different from other countries, fear and the media, racism in America and many other important subjects.

This isn't a documentary like others; the views are biased from the start, some of the way the interviews are conducted are very flawed (for example the ambush interview with Charlton Heston) and there is some controversy over the first scene at the bank (which is definitely shocking nonetheless, I mean guns at a bank?) and for these reasons it's important to sit down with the movie and take some time afterwards to discuss it and ask yourself questions about the ideas and images you just saw.

It's got an excellent animated segment towards the middle that's very funny, some genuinely moving and shocking footage and testimonies and it's hard to imagine someone that will get no reaction whatsoever out of this film.

It asks a lot of important questions and that makes it essential viewing. Even people who don't like documentaries will enjoy "Bowling for Columbine". (Dvd, December 15, 2012).