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Michael Moore’s family has lived in Flint, Michigan for generations. And Flint is essentially a General Motors town. His father, his grandfather, all of his friends and neighbors have been blue-collar workers for General Motors for as long as he can remember. Then one day, General Motors unexpectedly announces that they will close down the plant in Flint---despite reports that GM is making record-breaking profits! The mischievous Moore then decides to use his camera-wielding powers to get an interview with GM CEO Roger Smith to understand the logic behind closing the plant. The whole film is about his futile attempts to meet with the elusive Roger. Meanwhile, Moore chronicles the decline (and the pitiful attempts to revive) his now destitute hometown as crime reaches an all-time high and thousands of workers lose their homes.

Despite the way it may sound, this is actually an incredibly funny and witty documentary which won tons of critical awards and became an underground cult classic upon its release. The final scene in which Moore finally “meets up” with Roger always brings tears to my eyes. (Note: this film is rated R, but I viewed it and found absolutely no material in it that would make it such—other than the fact that corporate America doesn’t want you to see this film!)

Blog entries that mention this film:

• October 22, 2006 - "A PBS Mind in an MTV World"