Review of The Big One (1997) by Justin N — 22 Feb 2011

This entry in Moore's list of films falls more into the standup comedy genre than his others. It's relaxed and goofy for the most part, which makes for a fun watch. Of course, there are the serious elements as well, including Moore's confrontations with corporate representatives (including Nike's CEO) in which he asks them why, when they are making enormous profits, are they sending American jobs overseas? The token answer is, "to remain competitive", with the bottom line being the stockholders' pockets. At a couple of the companies, Moore asks if the people would still have their jobs if they had performed poorly. "Yes," was the answer at least twice.

Of particular interest to me amongst the serious material was the story of group of Borders employees in West Des Moines who were able to unionize in order to be paid a decent wage. All in all, if you appreciate Michael Moore's attacks on corrupt corporations, the film is great for a light, fun watch.