The food for thought that Moore feeds us is still potent stuff
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Tomatometer
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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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Reviews for Bowling for Columbine
Regardless of how dubious its documentary tactics may be, Bowling for Columbine is powerful, thought-provoking, and, upon occasion, bitingly funny.
There's no excuse for Moore's frequent self-aggrandizing and shrill sanctimoniousness, but he does manage to put the Man in his place.
While certain sequences hit home, the doc is sloppy and unfocused, guilty of the tabloid mentality Moore takes such pleasure in lampooning.
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.
Frequently extremely funny, sometimes quite intriguing and other times infuriatingly naive.
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.
A great documentary challenges social norms and demands reaction, and on that score Moore hits us right between the eyes.
This volcanically funny and seriously scary look at America's obsession with guns is meant to shake us up good. And it does.
Moore is a master pot stirrer. He is a drama queen sans make-up like no other. And he is one funny mofo.
Problematic yet essential, it arrives in theaters looking, if anything, even more caustic and timely than it did at its Cannes premiere.
A flat-out brilliant cinematic essay on the issue of guns and violence in American society.
Latest News for Bowling for Columbine
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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:
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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...
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July 31, 2006:
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