Roger & Me (1989)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Michael Moore

Writer:

Michael Moore (written by)

Release Date:

20 December 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

The story of a rebel and his mike.

Plot:

Director Michael Moore pursues GM CEO Roger Smith to confront him about the harm he did to Flint, Michigan with his massive downsizing.

Plot Keywords:

Michigan | Michael Moore | Flint Michigan | Downsizing | Plant

Awards:

11 wins

Cast

Michael Moore	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Blanchard	...	Himself
James Bond	...	Himself
Pat Boone	...	Himself
Rhonda Britton	...	Herself ('Pets or Meat')
Anita Bryant	...	Herself
Karen Edgely	...	Herself
Bob Eubanks	...	Himself
Ben Hamper	...	Himself
Dinona Jackson	...	Herself
Timothy Jackson	...	Himself
Tom Kay	...	Himself
Ted Koppel	...	Himself (archive footage)
Correy Lennox	...	High School Student
Brian MacDonald	...	Video Tour Guide
Kaye Lani Rae Rafko	...	Herself (Miss America)
Dan Rather	...	Himself (archive footage)
Janet K. Rauch	...	Herself - Amway Lady
Ronald Reagan	...	Himself (archive footage)
Fred Ross	...	Himself (eviction deputy)
Barbara Schroeder	...	Herself - Reporter
Robert Schuller	...	Himself (archive footage)
George Sells	...	Himself (local TV news anchor)
Roger B. Smith	...	Himself
Guy Williams	...	Zorro (archive footage)
Steve Wilson	...	Himself
Sue Zelenko	...	Herself

Also Known As:

A Humorous Look at How General Motors Destroyed Flint, Michigan (USA) (subtitle)
Dance Band on the Titanic: Autoworld and the Death of Flint (USA) (working title)
Roger and Me (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:14A | Finland:S | Norway:11 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Dog Eat Dog Films

Trivia:

In a radio interview, Michael Moore felt this film was a failure, since it did not stimulate any interest in development or investment to the town of Flint.

Quotes:

Michael Moore: [after massive layoffs] Meanwhile, the more fortunate in Flint were holding their annual Great Gatsby party at the home of one of GM's founding families. To show that they weren't totally insensitive to the plight of others, they hired local people to be human statues at the party.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: 12 to the Moon (#6.24)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Jailhouse Rock

Corporate America Attacked ( and deservedly so )

Roger & Me tells the story of Flint, Michigan after General Motors chairman Roger Smith, shut down the GM plant leaving the entire town in financial ruin. It also tells the story of director Michael Moore's quest to find Smith and bring him to Flint to see the town's devastation. The documentary tells the idiocy, cowardice, heartlessness, and kissing up of the rich while a town tries anything, and I do mean anything, to get back on their feet. I saw this in my high school economics class and after watching parts of Moore's TV Nation ( also highly recommended ) I felt compelled to watch this again. Contains grisly scenes of a rabbit being slaughtered, which I find painful since I have a pet rabbit, and Smith delivering a Christmas speech about the warmth the holiday season provides, while superimposed over a family being evicted on Christmas Eve. Smith later resigned as chairman and will later on meet a man in a red suit, and he ain't Santa Claus. 9 out of 10.