Review of Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) by Tara * — 25 Apr 2009

Michael Moore, is a fascinating man. When it all boils down, he is just your typical, overweight, underachieving college dropout from Flint, MI. I am particularly partial to the man, mainly cause Flint is my hometown as well.

Personal opinions aside.

Moore belligerently berates George W. Bush, in a way that will always be admired. He comes out, as one of the first major players in the world-wide Bush-bash campaign. He steps up for everyone that doesn't have a voice, and said what they were thinking. He presents plenty of facts, and plenty of bias. This, I assume, is what most people do not like about Moore.

Moore had the right idea in making this movie, but he goes about it wrong. Instead of a smart, and well planned attack, he emotionally, and carelessly bashes our president. This turned a lot of his credibility into shit with the conservatives, and skeptics. Also, the fact that the movie released shortly after the reelection of George Bush, instead of just before, in an attempt to suede votes. In this aspect, a weak attempt.

Now, on the other hand, anyone with a healthy dose of hate for the Bush administration (a majority of Americans in 2004) love this movie. It is like a rock concert. It was actually the first movie I had attended, as long as I can remember, where it received a standing ovation from the audience. This is the rock concert feel I was describing. A heavy feeling weighs you down at the end, as Moore attempts to strip away all the realities of what we know.

Moore had lots of firepower for this movie, as it was produced by the Weinsteins, and Lions Gate. Yet, ultimately, this film did not do as much damage as it should have. This movie should have dropped like an atomic bomb on the American public, yet didn't. I wonder if producing a movie like this, is a an automatic death wish? I wonder, would Michael Moore have been assassinated for making this flick, had it resulted in Bush losing the 2004 election?? Hmmmm..... there was clearly a safe distance set between himself, and any real battles. So in this sense, the movie is a failure.

The four star rating is for the attempt, and "A" for effort. Moore changed the way we deal with journalism, the truth in American society, and documentaries altogether. One that I will always own on DVD as well, as it is a time-capsule of American history.

(Film project 4 of 4).