Review of Roger & Me (1989) by Chris D — 30 Nov 2009

Roger and Me is about (the then unknown director) Michael Moore's attempt to interview the CEO of General Motors Roger Smith, and what was behind his decision to close the automotive factories in Moore's hoemtown of Flint, Michigan.

GM's closing in Flint, Michigan was virtually a fatal blow to the city, and like nearby Detroit, Flint has never recovered financially or socially from it even to this day. Moore uses the history of the automotive industry to showcase how generations of employees came to believe in loyalty and reliance on the American Dream in the 1950's. His exploration of the idea poignantly illustrates how modern business methods have no comparison with the industry business methods of the past. The desperation of the people and the fall out of unemployment - watching a family being evicted during the Christmas holidays - is very moving indeed.

Moore tries desperately to interview Smith to no avail, but does finally succeed in asking Smith a question in a crowded room (almost identical to way George W Bush is questioned in Moore's Fahrenheit 911 much later).

There are no easy answers here, so Moore doesn't offer any. But interestingly, Moore also doesn't have the polish or manipulative sophistication evident in later movies. This one is more of a rough draft or template for "Bowliing For Columbine" and "911".

Still, it's a good movie and will be especially interesting to those who grew up in an automotive town like Detroit, or who work or worked in the automotive industry. They will find this movie disturbing, and the funny ironies a little harder to laugh at because it hit nerves much too close to home.