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Movies / On DVD / Bowling for Columbine
Bowling for Columbine

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Bowling for Columbine (2002)

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Reviews Counted:159

Fresh:153

Rotten:6

Average Rating:8.2/10

Consensus: Though it may not always convince, Bowling for Columbine asks important questions and provokes thought.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for some violent images and language

Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:Oct 11, 2002 Limited

Box Office: $21,244,913

Synopsis: Filmmaker and leftist activist Michael Moore asks some serious questions as he probes the depths of America's trigger-happy gun culture in the insightful and amusing documentary, BOWLING FOR... Filmmaker and leftist activist Michael Moore asks some serious questions as he probes the depths of America's trigger-happy gun culture in the insightful and amusing documentary, BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE. Guns in America are used to kill an average of more than 11,000 people per year. This death toll is obscenely out of balance with other first world countries, which generally average a total in double digits. Experts and analysts have pointed to America's bloody history as a reason, but how does that explain the lower murder rate in Germany? Violent entertainment has also been fingered, but how does this account for staggeringly low numbers in Japan, home of the most violent entertainment video games on the market. Moore's trademark comedic tone is razor-sharp as his quest leads him everywhere from Littleton Colorado's Columbine High School to the home of NRA President Charlton Heston. Moore, oddly enough a lifetime NRA member, makes his main target the news media, but also fires away at inefficient welfare programs, Dick Clark, and Kmart. The latter is even compelled to make a major policy change in their stores due to one of Moore's confrontational stunts. This exploration into America's obsession with guns is disarmingly humorous, but Moore also asks challenging questions and fearlessly seeks responsible parties, making the film an effective call for more social awareness as well. [More]

Starring: Charlton Heston, Marilyn Manson, Matt Stone, Dick Clark

Starring: Charlton Heston, Marilyn Manson, Matt Stone, Dick Clark, James Nichols, Jeff Rossen

Director: Michael Moore

Director: Michael Moore
Producer: Kathleen Glynn, Michael Donovan, Charles Bishop, Jim Czarnecki
Studio: MGM/UA

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Release:

Aug 19, 2003

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Reviews for Bowling for Columbine

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161 - 175 (sorted by date)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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The food for thought that Moore feeds us is still potent stuff

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
10/09/02
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

The movie can be devastating and is often hilarious.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
10/08/02
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

certainly thought provoking and oddly entertaining

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
10/08/02
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Regardless of how dubious its documentary tactics may be, Bowling for Columbine is powerful, thought-provoking, and, upon occasion, bitingly funny.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
10/08/02
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
10/06/02
FilmFour.com

There's no excuse for Moore's frequent self-aggrandizing and shrill sanctimoniousness, but he does manage to put the Man in his place.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
10/04/02
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

While certain sequences hit home, the doc is sloppy and unfocused, guilty of the tabloid mentality Moore takes such pleasure in lampooning.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
10/02/02
Adam Nayman
Adam Nayman
eye WEEKLY

Here lies the charm of Michael Moore’s style, he uses guerilla style journalism to ask the questions no one seems to be asking, of the people no one seems to have the balls to ask.

Full Review Source: Trades | comment Comment
10/01/02
Alex Keen
Alex Keen
Trades

Frequently extremely funny, sometimes quite intriguing and other times infuriatingly naive.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
10/01/02
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

Why do Americans kill one another in such numbers? Michael Moore doesn't know but he sure make the exploration of the question a fascinating one.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
09/30/02
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

A great documentary challenges social norms and demands reaction, and on that score Moore hits us right between the eyes.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
09/30/02
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This volcanically funny and seriously scary look at America's obsession with guns is meant to shake us up good. And it does.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
09/26/02
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Moore is a master pot stirrer. He is a drama queen sans make-up like no other. And he is one funny mofo.

Full Review Source: Hot Button | comment Comment
09/20/02
David Poland
David Poland
Hot Button

Problematic yet essential, it arrives in theaters looking, if anything, even more caustic and timely than it did at its Cannes premiere.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
06/29/02
Mike D'Angelo
Mike D'Angelo
Time Out New York

A flat-out brilliant cinematic essay on the issue of guns and violence in American society.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
06/10/02
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
161 - 175 (sorted by date)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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Latest News for Bowling for Columbine

June 25, 2007: Michael Moore Talks "Sicko," Heath Care, Edutainment, Cuba
There isn't much middle ground on Michael Moore; his bromide-laden documentaries have earned him both an enthusiastic following from many on the left and unvarnished vitriol... More...

May 20, 2007: Cannes Wrap-Up: Michael Moore's Latest And Leo's Global Warming Doc
Michael Moore's latest doc, "Sicko," has stirred up more controversy for the Michigan muckraker. Is he onto something with his evisceration of the US healthcare... More...

August 14, 2006: Box Office Wrapup: "Talladega Nights" Stays #1, "Step Up" Surprises
Despite a pair of newcomers close behind in its rearview mirror, Will Ferrell's hit comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby finished in first place for the second... More...

July 31, 2006: Box Office Wrapup: "Miami Vice" Knocks Pirates From #1 Spot
Detectives Crockett and Tubbs shot their way to number one in North America with the cop thriller Miami Vice which finally managed to knock the megablockbuster Pirates of the... More...

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