Sicko [dir. Michael Moore]

2007, 117 minutes
Documentary
[I figure most of those who hated or even disliked this film probably never saw it or were Michael Moore biased viewers beforehand. I consider myself a bit more reliable than Moore haters or dickriders as I've never seen one of his movies before and accord to no distinct political party. Sicko is a sprawling gathering of persuasive material intended to make Americans wake up and realize how bad of shape our health care system is in -- though only 1/6 people are significantly effected by the dog eat dog world of medicare and health insurance. While often accused of being a Bush hater, Moore takes only one or two subtle stabs at Dubya and celebrates Hilary Clinton's initial rallying for universal health care only to expose her hypocracies. The picture is mostly made up of personal stories of American people unable to afford health care, usually leading in economic downspiral, further health problems and on a couple occasions, death. The main [and practically only] criticism of the film is its lack of objectivity in parts -- Moore sometimes ignores finer points to other countries' health care systems that he praises -- but this is a persuasive piece of filmmaking and while it's not exactly objective, it hardly totters near the edge of propaganda or fiction. Moore fanboys will call him a great patriot, haters an egotistical prick; I'll just consider him an auteur who in Sicko has created a powerful motion picture with an overload of shocking facts as well as a few neglected opposing truths.]

***1/2