Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Moore Bush-whacking!
Starring: |
Michael Moore
|
Released By: |
Lion's Gate, IFC Films |
Released In: |
2004 |
Rated: |
PG-13 |
Reviewed By: |
Adam Mast |
Grade: |
B |
Fahrenheit 9/11 will be the "love it" or "hate it" film of the year, there's no doubt about that. Where do I stand as far as my political views? Well, I really hate using this forum (film critiquing) as a place to discuss such things, but given the nature of this film, it will be rather hard to avoid.
As the Boneman mentioned in his column last month, Fahrenheit 9/11 was the big winner at the Cannes Film Festival. It reportedly received a fifteen minute (or thereabouts) standing ovation, the longest in Cannes history. Not that this means much as I once attended a screening of a picture that received lengthy applause as well. The movie: the overrated Independence Day.
Going in, I was already prepared for what would surely be propaganda at it's most extreme. Documentary film maker Michael Moore has never hidden the fact that he is no fan of George Bush. Therefore, I figured I was in for the ultimate anti-Bush campaign. What I wasn't prepared for was the absolute contempt for our leader that Mr. Moore demonstrates with his use of creative-editing and narration. I don't recall the last time I've seen this much hatred displayed in a movie.
I'll confess that I'm not the biggest George Bush fan myself, still the fashion in which Moore attacks and portrays our President's actions, doesn't really work in the way he (or I) thought it would. Many of the swipes taken at Bush in this picture seemed to backfire. A good example being a sequence in which the President is notified of the second plane crash into the World Trade Center, while preparing to speak at an elementary school. The look on Bush's face, and his hesitancy to react quickly after getting the news, Moore finds reprehensible and it's clear his purpose is to paint Bush as a dunce. Sure enough, I could hear gasps from those sitting around me. To me, however, I saw a man who was genuinely distraught and almost in a state of shock. In fact, if anything, his reaction seemed quite appropriate. Yes, he is the President, and yes, he is a man who must make difficult decisions under such circumstances, but he's also a human being like the rest of us.
Not surprisingly, Fahrenheit 9/11 is full of moments like this. It's also full of half truths and background revelations that would seem more horrifying than they actually are (including the connection between the Bush family and the Bin Ladens). And clearly, there are moments that are taken out of context and edited in such a way as to put the Bush in the least flattering posture possible. Of course, this is Michael Moore and this sort of thing is to be expected. At the very least, I shouldn't have to tell anyone that you can't believe everything you see in the movies, and this is no exception.
On the other side of the coin, it's really difficult to deny the sheer moments of power that this movie does bring to the screen. While much of the Bush-bashing seemed excessive, Moore has compiled some astonishing footage - featuring everything from grisly war aftermath, to haunting images of 9/11, to a horrific decapitation, to the President making fun of himself. Seriously, there are some shots in this film that Moore doesn't have to make light of because Bush does such a good job of it himself.
As he did so very well in the superior Bowling For Columbine, Moore deftly displays the media's ability to instill fear in all of us (and now that I think about it--this picture sort of does the same thing). After all, fear means big business, and perhaps the biggest message I got out of this picture is that money is the root of all evil.
I was also compelled by the arguments Moore makes about poverty in this country. It would appear that the majority of the young Americans who went over to Iraq came from poor backgrounds. One sequence in the picture even follows two Marines as they hit a poverty stricken district in Michigan looking for new recruits. The fearless filmmaker even shows up at the Capital Building where he attempts to persuade members of Congress to sign their own children up for military service (here Moore provides us with a statistic that only one member of Congress had a child that went to Iraq). The response of these particular men is not at all surprising (granted we the audience have no idea how old the Congressmen's children are and most of it was time wasted belaboring an obvious point).
Sadly, Moore overreaches far too often, and it diminishes the quality of his filmmaking. For example, we see early footage of a young George Bush as a business man. Moore goes on to explain that, more or less, every business Bush had a hand in went belly-up. Obviously, this is meant to scare the hell out of us, now that Mr. Bush has the most powerful job in the world, but it didn't really have that effect on me. I mean, Moore wasn't always the celebrated documentarian he is today. I'm sure at some point in his life, he too failed in a job of some sort.
Using off-screen narration, interviews and stock footage, the film maker weaves this often frustrating and provocative piece of propaganda. He seems to be suggesting that all of this country's problems in the last four years have been caused by Bush, which is just patently absurd. The truth is, terrorism has always been a problem (as has poverty) and 9/11 could have just as easily occurred during the Clinton Administration. What would have Moore done then? He didn't make a documentary about the Monica Lewinsky scandal? And I have to say, I really objected to the shots of Baghdad shortly before Bush's ordered bombings. Moore would have us believe that everything was fun and games over there. He shows us clips of shiny happy people smiling and children having a good time, ostensibly just prior to bombing campaign. By this I'm not asserting an opinion as to whether Bush's course of action was justified, but I found it aggravating that Moore leaves out key facts. Many of the citizens of Baghdad were warned of the upcoming destruction, unlike those who died as a result of the 9/11 attacks. Again, I'm not implying that this makes the bombing defensible, but facts in this picture have been severely distorted and obscured. At any rate, no one wants to see innocent people die--including our President.
While Moore has often been accused of not being nearly objective enough, I've never been nearly as bothered by it as I was here. Perhaps it's because it's just so blatant in Fahrenheit 9/11. Certainly, there are images in this picture that speak for themselves. None of us like the sight of death, and the footage of burned bodies, gun fire, the horrors of 9/11 (chillingly and effectively displayed through an audio track played over black screen), and a mother pleading for her dead son to come back to her from Iraq is enough to shake any human to their very soul. But far too often, Fahrenheit 9/11 flounders in a sea of speculative conspiracy theories that would knock even Oliver Stone for a loop. The point is that this film should be viewed with a critical eye. Moore is a master of creative editing, thus every time Bush appears on screen in this film, he's either mis-pronouncing a word, laughing, or sticking his foot in his mouth. Is this merely a coincidence? Of course not. It's manipulation.
I have to say, even though this is my least favorite of Mr. Moore's films (I don't count Canadian Bacon), it is one with powerful moments, and it does get people talking. That's incredibly important in this day and age. This picture will, no doubt, have a profound effect on many people. As for me, I'll just say this; I liked Fahrenheit 9/11. It was funny, sad and thought provoking. The bottom line however, is that whether or not I choose to vote for Bush come November, it won't have anything to do with this movie.
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