Every so often I catch a movie that I find is worthy of writing about. The movie in this case is Michael Moore’s Sicko. As most if not all of my friends and family know, I am no fan of Mr. Michael Francis Moore (Note to my sister: I hope that xmas gift of Fahrenheit 9/11 was a joke) I have not seen Roger & Me, The Big One, etcetera or his various T.V shows in the UK and US. I read only part of Stupid White Men (I will at some point soon pick it up again and re-read it all for a review) and never picked up Downsize This! , Dude, Where’s My Country? or any other Moore book. I may provide a better insight into his work if I did but the fact is, I have seen the big ones: Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11 and Now Sicko. Yes I did get Sicko from BitTorrent simply because I don’t wish to line Mr. Moore’s pockets due to the misfortune of others but do want to judge the material on it’s merits. I know with previous films he has made he has stated he does not care if the movies were shared and if he truly believes that all he is trying to “expose” is wrong then he would want everyone to see his film so please any piracy cops out there, avoid emailing me.
Moore as you probably know is known for making controversial left-wing films. He has made millions off of the very issues he documents and in general seems to take advantage of the misfortune of those whom he features in his films. Sicko seems to me to be no exception.
Sicko starts out by showing a couple of people who lack health care benefits in the United States. The movie then goes on to explain that it is not about these people, that it is about the people who do have health care, and the issues with the current health care system. Moore goes on to speak with many people in different situations throughout the film, some who have been denied needed medical care by their insurance companies and others whom have at one time held positions of power within the industry. As usual Mike can’t quite get through the filming process without making attacks, or at least insinuating negativity towards current President George W. Bush.
Moore travels to various countries including Canada, France, UK and Cuba, which have socialized health care systems. Along the way Moore does his usual twisting of the facts featuring those who are in situations where they feel hopeless. Is it just me or does he always seem to target groups of people whom are the easiest to manipulate and least likely to be able to afford legal recourse for libel et al? I will give the guy some credit; he has done a great job of social engineering the public and taking advantage of others like the 9/11 rescue workers whom he escorted to Cuba in the film.
Sicko does make some valid points if you can sift through all the propaganda and figure out what the reality of the situation is though the representation or misrepresentation of the Canadian health care system in the film as being great is one of the biggest shams I’ve seen in awhile. I think what truly bothers me is that Moore is great at creating and holding his own frame and making others believe that is reality.
Watching Mike’s films seem like watching someone slide on a downward slope, which is getting steeper. With each film the lies get bigger and bigger though there always seem to be some static targets. Mr. Moore often breaks the law during his films yet is not in jail, he lies more then the targets in which he chooses to attack and always complains how bad of a country the USA is; yet he’s still living there. I believe that’s pretty good proof he’s only in it for the money.
Do I believe the film is worth watching? Yes I do, I believe everyone needs to watch it and form their own opinion but please before you do, remember to put on the rubber boots because this is another pile of deep shit from Michael Francis Moore.
