Reviewed by: Becca, Joe, & Kris

Directed by: Michael Moore

Produced by: Michael Moore, Kathleen Glynn, & Jim Czarnecki

Cast: Michael Moore, George W. Bush, & Lila Lipscomb

Documentary 1 hr. 56 min. Michael Moore's latest documentary traces why the U.S. has become a target for hatred and terrorism. It will also depict alleged dealings between two generations of the Bush and bin Laden clans that led to George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden becoming mortal enemies.

Because of a complaint I got from this review, I decided to rewrite this a little. I will be leaving where I get my information from.

Let me start off by saying I am a moderate republician, and a Bush supporter, as well as a Clinton supporter. I went into this movie knowing alot of facts that were supposedly untrue. I wanted to give it a try, because it has alot of hype about it, and I wanted to see this to form an opinion of my own.

This movie is NOT a documentary in any way, shape, or form. This is a man stating his opinion and using misleading "facts" to prove his point. I watched a news report where they interviewed Moore, and the reported said that when Moore is walking around asking Senators and House Members to sign their children up for war... (Let me take a quick moment to say, when is the last time a parent could sign a child up to go to war? Last time I checked I thought only YOU could sign yourself up to join the military... now back to our regularly scheduled program.)... Rep. Mark Kennedy was approached by Moore, who asked him to sign his children up. Kennedy told him that he already had two nephews in the military, and offered to pass out the fliers to other senators and house members. Info here

On page 5:
This Week followed up with the office of Rep. Kennedy. He did have two nephews in the military, but neither served in Iraq. Kennedy's staff agrees that Moore's Website is accurate but insists the movie version is misleading. In the film, Moore says, "Congressman, I'm trying to get members of Congress to get their kids to enlist in the Army and go over to Iraq." But, from the transcript, here's the rest:
MOORE: Is there any way you could help me with that?
KENNEDY: How would I help you?
MOORE: Pass it out to other members of Congress.
KENNEDY: I'd be happy to - especially those who voted for the war. I have a nephew on his way to Afghanistan.

This was cut out, because it didn't fit Moore's personal attack on the leaders of our country. However, Moore had no problem in showing Kennedy's face in the film, trying to mislead viewers that he wouldn't want his family involved in the war personally.

The movie's almost slanderous vision of the Bush Administration during and after 9/11 is way to critical for insignificant actions. Such as when Bush reading to children at a school, when he found out about the planes crashing, he continued to read for seven minutes instead of running out on the children. I know seven minutes is important, but would it of changed the outcome of 9/11? And as for those who say "What if..." that is an empty debate, because it didn't happen. "What if..." did not happen, and for those who want to watch the video it can be seen here.

Misleading and inaccurate information as well as clips of President Bush and members of the house taken completely out of context, caused me to huff and puff throughout the entire movie. I am giving this movie a 1, not because it wasn't entertaining, because it was. But because I rate movies on their genre, and this movie was suppose to be a documentary, and it wasn't. Definition of documentary

Other Info Sites:
F911 Just The Facts
Bin Laden Briefing Before 9/11 (need Adobe Reader]
USA Patriot Act - Read it for yourself
And to be fair, this is where Michael Moore claims he got his information.

Read Joe's Thought's Here

The controversial filmmaker Michael Moore is back with his fourth documentary. This is his most controversial documentary to date since it has been released in close proximity to the next presidential election. This is a film I’ve been looking forward to seeing since I first heard about it back in 2003. I’ve enjoyed Moore’s other films and I figured that I would enjoy this one, especially after discovering what it’s about. I couldn’t have been more right about what I would think.

This film is about September 11, 2001 and how the Bush administration used a national tragedy to advance its agenda. Moore uses archive footage of several news stories and of President Bush to get his point across. He shows the ties between the Bush family and the Saudi Royal family, and he reveals many shocking facts about the Bush administration. Moore uses his typical recipe in this film; a good mixture of humor, shock, sadness, and outright anger. As most people know, it was very difficult to get this movie distributed in the United States considering the subject matter. Miramax was originally going to distribute it, but Disney, the parent company of Miramax, wouldn’t allow it to be distributed. After Fahrenheit 9/11 won the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival, a few different companies decided to step forward and distribute it and it was finally released on June 25. I enjoyed every minute of this film. I went in with an open mind, expecting Moore to tear into President Bush with a fury never seen before. I have to say, that even though I sort of wanted that to happen, I’m glad Moore didn’t do that. He could have used hundreds of quotes from President Bush that are more damning that what was used. From the second the film began until the very last frame, I was sitting rigid in my seat. Many of the facts in the film I have heard or read before, but there were a few things I didn’t know. In my opinion, this film is even better than Bowling for Columbine, which is Moore’s previous documentary. I believe that Fahrenheit 9/11 is put together in a more organized manner, and has the proper balance of feelings.

I came out much angrier than I was coming in, and I found myself actually crying at a few times during the film. It’s amazing when I cry at films because I rarely do. I have to be genuinely touched by something, otherwise I take it cheesy or over the top. This is a movie that you should go see with an open mind. It doesn’t matter if you love or hate President Bush and his administration, you should see it. I know that many of the Bush lovers don’t want to go see this movie, but it really is an amazing film. Moore isn’t afraid to state his opinion, and he just wants to be able to spark debate. He doesn’t want you to automatically change your opinion to his; he just wants you to go out and think for yourself. If you want to see a movie that will probably make you angry, no matter your political stance, see this one. You will either love it or hate it; I personally love it.