Reviewed June 27, 2004
"Bowling for Columbine" is an interesting and entertaining documentary from Michael Moore. The Columbine in the title refers to the high school shooting incident where two students gunned down a dozen of their classmates before shooting themselves. Moore radiates out on connections from and to this event to paint a picture of a frightened America where such acts of senseless violence are only the visible outcrops of a deeper malaise.
The style of the documentary is personal - Michael Moore is the main character and we follow him around the country interviewing folks and making connections between other shooting events, gun laws and the American psyche. Moore does this well and convincingly, and often humorously, asking questions that need to be asked and seeking answers where possible from sources as diverse as some of the surviving victims of the massacre and Charlton Heston in his role as head of the National Rifle Association.
"Bowling for Columbine" won an Oscar and top awards at Cannes and countless other festival venues. It's a well-made film and deserved these awards, but instead of adding to the countless reviews that discuss this I would like to pay Mr. Moore the compliment of doing what he ostensibly tries to make us do while watching his film, and that is to think about what he is saying.
Michael Moore presents himself as someone for whom life and art are one - he is himself and makes films that express his ideas and searchings for meaning sincerely. So some of what I have to say refers to "Bowling for Columbine" and some is a reaction to things Michael Moore said or implied in his other speeches - available on a second dvd of supplementary material included with the feature. Moore seems to point the finger at politicians, the military-industrial complex and the media working together to shape a culture of fear and aggression. Throughout, though, he maintains his allegiance to primary American values - these are mostly implicit but seem to be along the line of freedom, equality, the American dream, etc. This is what makes his messages acceptable enough to garner awards and popularity. And this is where I differ from his point of view.
There is a fundamental flaw in the American dream and unless it is addressed, little fixes (gun control laws, foreign policy makeovers, etc.) only make it harder to identify since it will endlessly resurface in new forms. This flaw is the primacy of individual interests and rights over all others and Michael Moore and Charlton Heston stand side by side on this one it appears, along with John Wayne, Ronald Reagan and a whole slew of other historical and Hollywood figures. Charlton Heston is not deviating from the American Dream. He is manifesting the American Dream. And Michael Moore, with his iconoclastic questioning, is another manifestation of that dream, the little guy taking on the big guys. Making Walmart back down is good but it's not enough.
Soapbox: In the future this will probably be known as the era of "rights" - human rights, civil rights, women's rights, children's rights, gay rights, etc. The rights of individuals in society are important, but until they are balanced by the responsibilities of individuals towards society they will continue to lead to isolation, anomie and, as Moore so clearly points out, violence. But Moore takes the easy answer in singling out the media and bad politicians for blame. Today's epidemic of violence and madness is not only a result of bad politicians - it flows directly from the widely espoused philosophy of self-gratification as the highest good - a philosphy enshrined in the declaration of independence and the constitution. Until we recognize that the greatest good for the individual is in what he gives to the society in which he finds his being, we will continue to see unhappy, unsatisfied individuals shooting up their neighbours and national governments making war.
Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" is a real contribution to our understanding of our culture - it is a thought-provoking film that manages to be entertaining at the same time. I recommend it highly.
(Review by Brian Horne - all rights reserved.)