Roger & Me (1989)

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

Director:

Michael Moore

Writer:

Michael Moore

Stars:

Michael Moore, James Blanchard, James Bond

11 wins.

Cast

Credited 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

Storyline

A documentary about the closure of General Motors' plant at Flint, Michigan, which resulted in the loss of 30,000 jobs. Details the attempts of filmmaker Michael Moore to get an interview with GM CEO Roger Smith.

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Plot Keywords:

flint michigan | michigan | michael moore | general motors | quest | 

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Taglines:

The story of a rebel and his mike.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Bis Repetita [fr] Dog Eat Dog Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Humorous Look at How General Motors Destroyed Flint, Michigan

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$160,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$18,866 (USA) (19 October 2012)

Gross:

$511,200 (USA) (28 December 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dog Eat Dog Films, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Partially funded with $50,000 revenue generated by bingo games. Moore sold his house and held two yard sales. Edward Asner was sent a letter requesting support and sent a check. His name appears in the credits.

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Quotes

Michael Moore: Although most people in Flint were now too poor to afford a room at the Hyatt, the hotel allowed the public on opening day to ride the city's only escalator.

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Crazy Credits

The Flint Plasma Center is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Saturday and Sunday, they're closed.

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Connections

Referenced in American Dad!: Roger 'n' Me (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town"
Written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie

User Reviews

Roger Smith was (is?) a buffoon, but...

...Michael Moore should have stuck to the facts. I lived in the Detroit area (Milford, the home of the GM Proving Grounds) from the early 70's until 2002. The 80's were a rough decade for the auto industry.

Roger Smith became Chairman and CEO of GM in January, 1981. The man was an unmitigated disaster. Among some of the things he proposed was the elimination of GM's engineering division (pink slipping everyone). He didn't think that the world's largest automaker needed an in-house engineering capability. Absolutely moronic!

There were several other examples of Roger Smith's buffoonery. The viewing audience would have been better served had Mr. Moore stuck to the facts. There were several items in this film that were either staged or flat-out false (people who never worked for GM getting evicted, Pres. Reagan being quoted out of context, etc.). This is the typical tactic Mr. Moore uses in all his films.

The upshot? Mr. Moore is a gifted filmmaker and able storyteller. Unfortunately, he doesn't let the facts get in the way of the point he's trying to make. There was no shortage of material on what a moron Roger Smith was (is?). Had Mr. Moore kept with the facts, Roger & Me would not just be entertaining, it would have the added benefit of being factual.