the premise is Michael Moore "invading" other countries (mostly European) to highlight what they do better than America ,whether it's healthcare, education, prisons, drug enforcement, or all of the above. He then proposes that we "steal" these things to make our country better.
We can agree with Moore that there many things Europe does better than us, but the problem is he doesn't offer any in-depth analysis or solutions to these issues. He argues we can fix our problems by doing what the Euros are doing - and in some cases I wholeheartedly agree - but he makes no effort to present the other side of the coin or to explain why these changes haven't occurred yet. if you're well-versed in worldly affairs this movie may affirm many things you already know, but it doesn't offer any new insights and doesn't really tell you anything you don't already know.
thematically, this picture's a bit uneven. it lacks the focused compelling vision that Bowling for Columbine had. But it's also lightheartedly entertaining and there are amusing and funny scenes, with an examination of the perks of Norway's prisons being a highlight.
as Moore often does, this feels more like propaganda than an impartial documentary. it's clear there's an agenda here and stuff is often taken out of context or manipulated to support his case. For example, he touts Scandinavian schooling as the pinnacle of education, yet conspicuously fails to mention any Asian countries, who also have superior education, because it doesn't support his case for more liberal and unstructured schooling.
at it's best, this can be a fun and entertaining look at the questions American society faces. just don't expect any thought-provoking results or actual answers to these questions.
We can agree with Moore that there many things Europe does better than us, but the problem is he doesn't offer any in-depth analysis or solutions to these issues. He argues we can fix our problems by doing what the Euros are doing - and in some cases I wholeheartedly agree - but he makes no effort to present the other side of the coin or to explain why these changes haven't occurred yet. if you're well-versed in worldly affairs this movie may affirm many things you already know, but it doesn't offer any new insights and doesn't really tell you anything you don't already know.
thematically, this picture's a bit uneven. it lacks the focused compelling vision that Bowling for Columbine had. But it's also lightheartedly entertaining and there are amusing and funny scenes, with an examination of the perks of Norway's prisons being a highlight.
as Moore often does, this feels more like propaganda than an impartial documentary. it's clear there's an agenda here and stuff is often taken out of context or manipulated to support his case. For example, he touts Scandinavian schooling as the pinnacle of education, yet conspicuously fails to mention any Asian countries, who also have superior education, because it doesn't support his case for more liberal and unstructured schooling.
at it's best, this can be a fun and entertaining look at the questions American society faces. just don't expect any thought-provoking results or actual answers to these questions.