On Sunday I hosted a discussion of Michael Moore's latest movie,
Sicko, at my church. Normally I watch a movie once or twice prior to a
discussion but this time I found myself repeatedly rationalizing why I
should not watch the movie ahead of time
About halfway through the movie I realized just why it was that I was
viewing this movie with hesitation and trepidation – the problem was
Michael Moore himself.
I have mixed feelings about Michael Moore as I wrote about in my review of his movie Bowling for Columbine.
On the one hand he is a master at producing and presenting propaganda
that is both thought provoking and entertaining. On the other hand he is
his own worst enemy in that he has played fast and loose with some
facts and done cheap stunts that make it hard to take his movies
seriously, let alone accept as truth what he says in the movie.
Put simply I'm glad he is a propagandist for the liberals but I think
he sometimes harms the cause more than he helps it. If only he could
tone down his shtick and make a movie without all the hi-jinks. With
this movie I had heard he had done, Michael Moore behaves himself and
lets the story tell itself instead of his presence and actions becoming
the story.
My attitude toward this movie was not unlike my hesitation at reading
Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down in
that the only thing that could make the product bad was a major mistake
by the actual artist. However, in that case I was worried Hornby would
ruin his great track record of excellent books whereas in this case I
was concerned Moore was going to, once again, disappoint me.
Well, guess what? Moore pulled it off. Sicko manages to tackle
important issues about health care without letting himself get in the
way of the story. This movie is more mature, more serious, than his
earlier movies while still having needed moments of levity. For example,
he wanders around a hospital in England looking for a cashier because
surely someone is collecting money from the patients since there is no
insurance to pay the bills. Ultimately he does find a cashier but that
person is not taking people's money but rather giving money to those
needing it for a ride home.
If you think the United States health care system is fine as it is
you need to rent this movie. If you saw all the propaganda about
national health care used to shut down Hillary's health care proposal as
first lady, you need to see this movie. Incidentally he does not spare
criticism of Hillary Clinton, pointing out how much money she and others
of congress have received from the health care industry.
The most controversial part of the movie is the final 45 minutes. I'm
still digesting the fact that people who responded to 9/11 who have
been denied health care by the government of the United States were able
to get better, and much less expensive health care, in Cuba than
America and what a sad statement that is.
The movie reminded me of a movie I saw last year called 9/11: Dust
and Deception, made by a friend .The movie is about the dust from 9/11
that hurt so many people, the same dust the EPA said was perfectly
healthy to breathe.
I'm not sure what it's going to take to get national health care in
America but after seeing Sicko I'm definitely much more supportive of
the concept. I recommend seeing this movie
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