Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Fahrenheit 9/11

Originally written: 7/1/04

Michael Moore's full-out assault at the Bush administration is more a rallying cry for support than a true indictment of his target. With fuzzy facts in places and plenty of Moore's more typical stunts for laughs, this documentary did not strike me as hard as it did others.

The truth is that Michael Moore, while quite passionate about his views and the direction in which this country is headed, would fail a middle school class on essay structure. He has no true thesis, no supporting argument, and no real meat to chew on beyond the film's initial glitz. He skips around from point to point with little or no segue, often showboating rather than discussing real issues.

A large portion of the movie early on is devoted to making fun of President Bush. Honestly, no one truly thinks the man is smart, so why waste screen time with low-brow cracks? By failing to spend significant time on the true issues of the film--the socioeconomic draft of poor and minority Americans into the military, the true power of fear-mongering, and the corporate corruption via lobbyists in this country--Moore simply brings us a well-cut flash in the pan. Less satire and more depth into serious issues threatening true democracy would have made this film truly great for years to come, rather than just a pre-election stunt.