Film maker Michael Moore explores gun violence in America.
Director: Michael Moore
Cast: Michael Moore, Charlton Heston, Dick Clark, Marilyn Manson
MPAA Rating: R for some violent images and language
Fun Fact: After it’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, there was a 13 minute standing ovation for the film.
I remember the day that Columbine happened as I was in the 4th grade. To us kids there was no words for it because that was the first time we heard about something like that happen. While once again this is a film review and not a political post so we are going to be solely talking about the film. Even though I feel like I do need to point out that just like American History X, Bowling for Columbine feels relevant today and should be a required viewing for all.
Say what you want about Michael Moore but, I have to commend him for asking why. Why is the gun violence in America higher then other countries? In this film, we don’t just have the topic of the Columbine Massacre, we also get the focus of an incident where a six year old boy brought a gun to school and shot a classmate. Moore gives us in depth details about these two topics and interviews key people that were a part of these two issues. Marilyn Manson, who was partly blamed for influencing the shooting, delivers one of the best interviews I’ve seen in a documentary. Manson’s answers are well explained and intelligent. While when I first saw this I thought it was going to be strictly about Columbine but, I was wrong in that aspect.
The important thing is that this documentary is thought provoking. A good documentary raises questions for the viewer. If a documentary doesn’t raise any questions what would it’s purpose be? Michael Moore put this film together to raise questions and wanted the viewer to form their own opinion. I like documentaries that can bring up a respectful debate or discussion. It’s too bad that this film got an R rating as it could be good for an current events class or something to the equivalent.
The film actually has an emotional climax with the interview of Charlton Heston. Not just an actor Heston was also the president of the NRA, which was a major focus of the film as well. Like I stated before this isn’t a political post on the film so I don’t want to say if it was positive or negative so I challenge you to see it and form your own opinion.
Overall, Bowling for Columbine is a thought provoking documentary. It touches up on a topic that still has some relevance today in society. Love or hate Michael Moore all you want but, to me I always like hearing people’s opinions about certain topics. The film also has great interviews with people that have well explained answers to them. I say give it a go and see what you think.
Verdict: Hit
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