Friday, March 31, 2023

Roger and Me

And this week's Friday Night movie has been... Roger and Me!


Original image located here. Accessed 31st March 2023

I have previously spoken of my following of Michael Moore over the years so here we are at his debut feature: his announcement to the rest of the world that he exists.
So what this documentary is Michael following the closing down of a General Motors factory in Flint Michigan and the chaos that follows: Unemployment, increased crime, people being evicted, and an aggressive indifference from the wealthy. All the while Michael is trying to get in touch with General Motors CEO Roger Smith to ask some questions.

Of course, as this is his first feature, there are some familiar tropes on Michael's part: Standing up for the down-trodden, challenging the wealthy and showing up unannounced at certain places only to be kicked out. But what I find striking is that how un-relentlessly bleak this movie is: One expects Michael to have some humour to go with his razor sharp points but I didn't find much to laugh about. And of course since this movie's release, the situation has seen little improvement.
Of course, you can complain about Michael's one sided approach but you can't say the end effect is a searing experience

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