Review of Where to Invade Next (2015) by Jordan R — 28 Dec 2015

THERE'S ONE SIDE TO EVERY STORY - My Review of WHERE TO INVADE NEXT (3 Stars).

Michael Moore has a problem. Sure, he's super loaded and has had a charmed life, but there used to be a time when his films were blockbuster hits bringing in audiences from every side of an issue, but nowadays he can barely attract his core. It must be tough for someone who clearly, and delightfully, wants to change the world, or at least how we conduct business in this country.

With his latest comedy (you don't really think he makes documentaries, right?), he pretends that the Joint Chiefs Of Staff have admitted that every war since World War II was a failure. To change course, he claims they are sending him off on a war ship to other countries to "invade" them and bring their great ideas back to the U.S.A. Ridiculous opener aside, it's a strangely sweet idea in that the film acts as an eye-opener for the seemingly better lives of others. For example, in Italy, he learns that employees have at least 8 weeks of paid vacation per year and their employers support it because it makes for a happier staff and better production. In France, public school children eat gourmet meals off of fine china and learn about proper nutrition during that time. They wince when Moore offers them a soda. Norway has a beautiful prison system with flat screens in every cell and a 21 year sentence maximum and yet has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world. On and one Moore travels, telling his hosts that he has invaded their country with the intention of stealing their ideas. They charmingly acquiesce as he concludes each visit by planting Old Glory on their premises.

His travels also take us to Germany, Iceland, Finland, Portugal, and Slovakia, where a college education is free, even to foreign students, who are taught classes in English. I guess the rest of the world has it better than us, right? Yes, we saw in his earlier film SICKO, that universal healthcare in other countries is far better than what we have here, but WHERE TO INVADE NEXT tries to prove that premise on many other fronts.

The problem is, like all of Moore's films, he cherry-picks his arguments, plays fast and loose with charts and graphs, and glosses over any opposing viewpoints, such as the fact that Italy's economy is in the toilet. Additionally, this film is just too damn long. At nearly two hours, it overstays its welcome. At a certain point, I just wanted him to go home.

Regardless, this is a concurrently funny and sad film worth seeing. One chilling moment comes courtesy of a woman who tells Moore, and us, what she really thinks of America. Her words are strong and won't be soon forgotten. In Germany, signs are posted everywhere from the time of the Holocaust to remind its citizens of its shameful history. If only, Moore astutely wonders, we would do the same with our history of slavery and decimation of our indigenous people. Late in the film, Moore reflects on his travels and the America he once knew. For once, he doesn't seem to be doing any schtick. He honestly assesses our past with an old friend, leaving the viewer with much to consider. He's preaching to the choir here, but it's a sermon I admire. It's about time we learned from our neighbors, and it's heartening that we can still learn from even an extremely biased Michael Moore.