Roger & Me
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Movie Reviews of Roger & Me
Movie Review: A Contray View
Summary: 5 Stars
There are many reasons for seeing a film. In many ways this is a well made film. Michael Moore is very skilled at what he does. If you are a film student, you could probably learn something about the art of film, particulary political film, from this movie. Also, if you agree with Moore's political views, (and in some ways I do) you will find positive reinforcement here. If you are looking for humor at the expense of the rich and powerful (always a popular theme) then you will like this film.However, if you are looking for a balanced view of the situation to be able to draw intelletent conclusions then this is not the film for you.
My objection to the film is that it is not a true documentary. In a documentary we expect some objectivity. We want to see both sides, and that is not the case here. You might say, "But the reason for that is he never gets to interview Roger!" Of course he doesn't interview Roger, but is that necessary to show both sides? Balanced documentaries have been done on the historical situations and people long dead without interviewing them.
As an exercise in balance, put yourself in the place of "Roger". You have been hired to turn around a giant company that is sinking fast due to foreign competitors which are doing things much better. You know you will have to lay people off, and close factories, all unpopular things to do. You are being given a large salary because the company needs a savior and they don't come cheap. Now along comes Michael Moore, an unknown filmmaker with no credits or credibility to his name (at that time) who wants to interview you and is most likely going to try to show you in a bad light. You will not have control of how he edits the material. Would you accept the interview? Maybe you would and maybe you wouldn't - that is up to you, but I think you could see that there are reasons why a person might not accept the interview. There is nothing really wrong with making a film that has a strong political slant. Many very famous films are in this catagory. Two that come to mind are "Birth of a Nation", the mounuental civil war film which also had a pro KKK slant as part of its complex theme, and "Hangmen Also Die" the famous anti-nazi film. However, such films usually are fiction and do not pretend to be balanced. There are also famous slanted "documentaries," that were produced in Russia and in Nazi Germany. These are essentually propoganda films which are highly skilled in the way they use emotions such as fear, acceptance, pity, shame, ridicule and fear of being grouped with those that are ridiculed, envy and hate to gain acceptance of their ideas. Moore's film falls in this catagory, but it is exceptional in that the use of emotion is implied, hidden and subtle rather than obvious. The film seems to be making reasonable arguments on the surface and attempting to be balanced, But a close look shows that the balance is maily supported by the device of not being able to interview Roger, and the reasonable argument is one sided.
As I said earlier, there are many reasons for seeing this film, I guess the reaon for my low rating is I felt betrayed by the film. In some ways I agree with Michael, but I feel that if I am going to agree with Mr. Moore, I would want to do so after honestly looking all sides of the situation, not because of ridicule and emotion.
Movie Review: An unappreciated work of art.
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1993, I took a graduate seminar in documentary film making and was introduced to "Roger and Me". Unfortunately, for Michael Moore, there are so many people tied up in the political implications of his work that they fail to realize that "Roger and Me" is probably the best documentary film of all time in terms of style, content and presentation. This movie is an expose on General Motors closing of several plants in Michigan and the subsequent effects of those plant closings. Nuff Said...It happened...so you can be pissed at GM for moving its factories to Tijuana where they can get workers for 33 cents/hour or, you can buy into Adam Smith's classical economic hypothesis put forth in "Wealth of Nations" and think that GM did the rational thing. The question is, how do you present this information to the uninformed world?
In terms of style, Moore's narrative is historically rich and laced with deadpan sarcasm. Many people have criticized the film for its "biased" presentation of fact. Wake up! This is not a CNN news broadcast, nor it it a press relase. It is a documentary, and as such, it must have a thesis. Moore presents a strong thesis: General Motors does not give a damn about suffering of American workers. He backs it up with statistics and qualitative content in his narrative. There is never a question left unanswered about why GM did what it did and what the official company line was on the issue. For a good documentary to work, you see it has to fill in some blanks, therefore, the film should not be criticized for being "biased".
While the content of "Roger and Me" gives the viewer a healthy dose of the consequences of class-war, the true art is in the way that these consequences are presented. In Roger and Me, Moore proves that he is the master of "quick-cutting" from the sublime to the shocking. Such sharp edits have to be admired. For example, at one point Moore is interviewing some upper-class people in a beautiful pastoral setting. They are talking about how people should "take control of their situation" if they do not have a job. Then suddenly, the film cuts into to a run-down neighborhood where families are being evicted from their homes. Moore uses this technique several times in Roger and Me cutting from the innocuous settings of the upper-class to the harsh realities of the working-class. The effect is as devistating to the viewer as going 60 MPH and then running smack into a brick wall.
While you may disagree with Moore's politics, people should at least appriciate what he has done for the documentary film-genre.
Movie Review: Sad and heartbreaking.
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't know where to begin with this review. As a huge fan of American hero Michael Moore who brought us the controversial "Bowling For Columbine" and the politically powerful "Fahrenheit 9/11", I was more than compelled to check out his first documentary of his career, 1989's heartbreaking "Roger and Me" which is an important documentary that everyone from all over the political spectrum should at least take some time to watch.
Set in his home town of Flint, Michigan, "Roger & Me" focuses on then General Motors Corporate CEO Roger Smith who became CEO in January of 1981. This man was a catastrophic disaster in the makings. During the 1900s and all the way into the 1960s, Flint, Michigan was a thriving community and often had numerous celebrations as one of the economic powerhouses of the Midwest. However, when Smith closed down the General Motors plants to open new ones in Mexico, the results were utterly devastation to the extent that Flint, Michigan has never really recovered from.
This documentary, Moore's first of his career, sets it's sight into the plight of the working citizens and residents of the city of Flint, and what they went through when enduring the massive hardships that enshrouded them. One of the scenes I couldn't digest was where a sheriff would evict impoverished residents who could no longer afford to pay their rent and one of these was really angering to watch which I'm not going to give out out of fear of spoiling it.
The city of Flint especially with what it once was is now one of the saddest stories of American history. As Michael Moore says dueing a commentary on the DVD, it has only gotten worse in the years since this came out in 1989 and that it has been virtually left to fade away into the background.
Wherever you lie on the political spectrum, this is a worthwhile watch and really peers into the effects of such a heinous, callous, and horrific act of corporate greed and what the effects of Smith's actions have had on Flint Michigan.
Although I've never been to Flint but I would say that even if it is a really downtrodden place, it still has some good qualities, like all other American cities. If Flint is to become a thriving place again then it would be a wonderful thing.
Movie Review: Story of Flint presaged what has happened since
Summary: 5 Stars
Michael Moore's first major film was one of his best in my opinion for two reasons. First off, since he did not yet have a trademark style, he did not try to go over the top in this film as much as he does in his subsequent efforts. He does his normal routine of tracking people down in an effort to embarrass them by asking them pointed questions, but for most of the film he lets the story and the citizens of Flint do the talking. As you probably already know, this is the story of Moore's hometown, Flint, Michigan, and the utter despair that fell upon it after GM began shuttering auto plants under the supervision of then CEO Roger Smith. The film really highlights how clueless Flint's elite are as to the suffering that all of this "consolidation" is causing. At one point in the film Moore is talking to some wealthy people at a party who seem to think they are doing the unemployed some kind of favor by hiring them to act as living statues at one of their fetes. When he asks the partygoers about what is going on in Flint they seem somewhat offended that there is such "negative publicity" circulating and say there should be more emphasis on the positive things going on in Flint - they name the symphony and the opera. Ah yes, let them eat opera glasses! The second reason I consider this film to be one of Moore's best is that even though this film was made in 1989, it is still interesting and relevant today. This is because the contrast between what average working people have to endure - the struggle to find secure jobs with decent benefits and their increasing vulnerability - and the desire of the captains of industry to improve the bottom line at any cost ... as long as it doesn't cost them ... has only worsened and deepened over the last 17 years since this film was first made.Movie Review: Every potential immigrant should watch this!
Summary: 5 Stars
Every person who is thinking to immagrate to this country should watch Roger and Me. I came from Soviet Union and because of ideological war (which was big part of cold war)we had totally biased view of US. Propaganda in USSR was so primitive that most of people did not believe it, but they trusted veiled American propaganda. (We did not think at that time that both sides can be wrong). We were listening to rock music, watching Hollywood movies and were extatic about gum. If I have seen movie Roger and Me I would never come to this country. I have to admit that I was one among millions of naive believers in "American Dream". I feel very bitter and cheated but it is my fault and I can not blame anybody else.Image which America projects all over the world is image of an enlightened country and true democracy. Country where people regularly excersize, eat well and all look like Hollywood stars.
Sorry, they will not tell you about epidemic of obesity and 400LB guys who go for gastric stapling in desparate attempt to reduce their weight.
People reading this can ask, if we are so bad why you guys do not go back to your country. The answer is fairly simple: most of the countries we come from are not any better than this one and when you go through so much struggle and abuse to get settled you do not have any energy left to move again. besides, it also issue of injured pride. You do not want to admit that you made a wrong decision.
I highly recommend this movie to any American who is intested to explore alternative views about their country and also to foreigners contemplating to immigrate to US.
If somebody is not holding loaded gun to your head, promising to murder you and your family, think twice before you come here!