Farenheit 911
Looking back, this film kind of loses its sheen considering Michael Moore made such a public kafuffle about how it's only intent was to get Bush out of office.
We all know how that went.
At the time though, this release was hot, hot, hot. A topical film that everyone wanted to see and everyone wanted to discuss. Love him or hate him, no one wanted to be the one left on the outer without an opinion on Moore's brash brand of political propaganda.
My thoughts on his questionable style: it's an argumentative essay. Facts make way for emotion. Read any opinion letter in any paper and it's exactly the same. It doesn't make it any less convincing an argument – although Moore does arouse suspicion when he slyly tries to splice things together to ‘suggest' things took place, something which leads those opposing him to pounce and try to discredit it. But he never actually crosses the line in saying these things are fact. He hasn't been sued nor has he had to legally change anything within his films as a result of court action – and just to remind you this is America we're talking about, so that says something.
What I detest about Moore is encapsulated in his TV show The Awful Truth , where he sets corporate scum in his sights and tries to take them down. Pathetically, he is so eager to attack “the man” and stage his valiant protests for his cameras that when he inevitably doesn't get through personally to these ruthless capitalists, he instead takes it out their lowly employees – reception workers and the ilk, who aren't really “the man” now are they, but are probably more like the working class Moore claims to represent.
What I like about Moore is his humour, though not always as sharp as it could be, and you've just got to respect the balls of someone who so loves getting into the faces of those who don't answer to anybody to try and make them accountable, and hey, even if he doesn't always make a difference at least we enjoy sitting in our middle class homes laughing as he torments someone with a lot more money than we have.
His previous film, Bowling for Columbine, was a moving and intelligent essay America's gun culture – focused on the terrible events at Columbine high school where two teens tore the school apart, killing a number of their schoolmates. Where the film truly excelled was taking the argument past the obvious “guns are bad, mmmkay” line and trying to get to the reasons behind the prevalence of guns in America – the climate of fear. It rightly deserved the many awards it received, even if Moore's treatment of Charlton Heston is way too heavy handed. With this in mind, and his books digested by the truckload, the waiting audience had a strong feeling of what they were about to see, and they couldn't wait.
I saw this film whilst holidaying in New York City, not too far from the Trade Center site, which I had visited that day. This was a sold out preview and people had driven hours away to see the middle-of-the-night advanced screening on a weeknight in Manhattan. The majority of folks there were virtually salivating at the prospect of seeing Bush get his comeuppance from the champion of the working class (who admittedly is a multi-millionaire, but that's neither here nor there). I got the feeling they would have been happy watching those stupid DVDs you can get of clip after clip of Bush hilariously mangling his English again and again (which, I suspect, like our own Pauline Hanson, actually somewhat endears him to the general public who go, "Hey, I don't know what xenophobia is either!" or "Well what do you know, my grasp on the English language also leaves something to be desired.").
More interesting than the film was the response to it. There were people walking out all over the place, whilst the majority were up on their feet cheering and clapping and yelling at EVERY FRICKIN STATEMENT MADE IN THE FILM! It was like being in some kind of rally, except this one you paid $15 to see, and you ate popcorn and candy instead of holding signs or chaining yourself to a tree.
It was an exciting thing to be a party to, but as far as the film was concerned I left there thinking that Moore stuffed up.
Instead of letting the audience take the important step of deciding for themselves, Moore rammed his views and implications down their throats again and again, and you have to wonder why. Those already in possession of a similar viewpoint as Moore would remain anti-Bush and those Bush supporters probably wouldn't see it in the first place. As for those too apathetic to vote in the first place – it's nice to think a film could inspire them to vote but it's unlikely, especially this film.
The first half of Fahrenheit 9/11 basically just reiterates Moore's books. Bush sucks. He is evil. He isn't just a dumb ass hick, he knows what he is doing and what he is doing is evil. No, wait, he is just a dumb ass hick – how can such a dumb ass hick be leading the biggest world power??? The film can't seem to make up its mind as to which Bush it is bashing – the idiot farm boy or the evil tyrant.
The second half feels like a separate film in its own right, as it follows the story of a mother of a soldier sent off to war. She is pro-war, totally patriotic and immensely proud of her son. This all changes when her son gets killed. It's a touching story, and Moore staked a lot by focusing so much on her, yet it still feels like an add-on in this rambling essay. Unlike his other documentaries where Moore leads you through the ruckus, here he has removed himself almost entirely bar a few scenes. When he does appear it feels wrong, especially in the dodgy scene where he rides around asking congressmen if they will send their sons and daughters to Iraq. Really, what was he expecting them to say?
Then there's the money scene. Moore spends a great deal of time lingering on this ‘smoking gun' early in the film, and you just know he was hoping this was the scene that was going to crucify Bush. When the President learns the Trade Towers have been hit he freezes…keeps on reading the kids story book at the school he was visiting that day. He doesn't know how to react. It's meant to be the ultimate indictment of an incompetent leader. It came across, at least to me, as somewhat sympathetic, and I ain't no fan of the man. Hey - if I was in his shoes I would have froze too. America had enjoyed such unparalleled prosperity for so long, it's understandable a bit of complacency would abound. It wasn't just Bush – no one saw it coming. It showed a man who – for all the power and the bad decisions and countless lives lost in their wake, and for all the stupid things he has said and done – was plainly and decisively human.
Moore stuffed up.