FAHRENHEIT 11/9


Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 would be doing way better at the Box Office if Moore had cut a deal with Rick Wilson to “borrow” the title Everything Trump Touches Dies. Despite the unfortunate title, Moore documents the rise of Trump and the decline of Flint, Michigan (knowingly poisoned by Government officials). Although these two events seem unconnected, Moore shows how our broken political system results in growing disasters. Fortunately, Moore also documents a growing grassroots movement that may offer some hope in these Dark Times. Michael Moore is earnest and wants to show how we got into this awful mess, but I found Fahrenheit 11/9 a tad too long. How much Bad News and Fake News can an audience endure? In this case, Less would be Moore. GRADE: B+

13 thoughts on “FAHRENHEIT 11/9

  1. Deb

    I’ll pass—we already know how monumentally screwed we are right now without a two-hour documentary adding to the pain. I think Moore has spent the last two years congratulating himself on predicting Trump’s win when no one else thought Trump could possibly do it—and now Moore seems to expect everyone to bow down to his prescience on all things (as if being able to predict that “bad people will do bad things” is an art). I loved Moore’s first documentary, “Roger and Me”, and “Sicko” was good, but the rest of his oeuvre is too much about him rather than the subject.

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    1. george Post author

      Deb, today’s WALL STREET JOURNAL cartoon features a doctor talking to a patient and saying, “With the upcoming Election, I’m putting a surge suppressor on your defibrillator.”

      Reply
  2. Michael Padgett

    This is probably entertaining, but can’t compare to the drama of yesterday’s Senate hearing. Much as I agree with Moore, a little goes a long way.

    Reply
  3. Prashant C. Trikannad

    George, I have read a couple of his books and heard much about Fahrenheit 11/9. While I’m not entirely familiar with his work, I get a feeling that somewhere he’s losing his way. I’m not sure if that’s a correct assessment.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Prashant, Michael Moore generates a lot of emotion on both the Liberal and Conservative sides of the political divide. In FAHRENHEIT 11/9 I think Moore’s “More is Better” approach doesn’t work. There are some powerful scenes in this film, but I’m sure audiences feel fatigued by all the chaos. I certainly did!

      Reply
  4. Steve Oerkfitz

    I will pass until it comes out on disc. Living in SE Michigan I have heard plenty about Flint’s problems and don’t need to see it rehashed on the big screen. I also am a bit turned off by Moore although I usually agree with him. Some of the Republicans partly responsible for Flint’s mess are running for office. I hope Flint’s population turns out in force.

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