Review of Manufacturing Dissent (2007) by Phil B — 14 Aug 2008

Genuinely - I write as somebody who hasn't actually watched any of Michael Moore's documentaries. Still this looked interesting. In a nutshell, this film basically suggests that Michael Moore's documentaries are more about Michael Moore being heard, getting the spotlight and having success with his films than they are about portraying an honest view of the facts as they stand.

The impression I got was that this documentary was quite a fair and reasonable look at things. I have to say that in the footage within this film, Michael Moore doesn't really come over very well, but this did seem to be far more about his subtle unpleasantness of character than any mean-spirited editing.

Certainly this documentary highlights the fact that just because it says "documentary" on the tin doesn't mean you're dealing with an unbiased interpretation of facts. It does also go a little further, and points out places where Michael Moore appears to have taken an absolute disregard for facts and headed into some pretty dishonest territory.

I would suggest that this would probably make a good companion to one one of his films. In my case, perhaps one of his films might later make a good companion for this! In any case, though, a reasonably well made documentary that manages to be quite interesting.

If you're going to watch it, watch it with your eyes.