| Photos (see all 53 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 7) |
| Jacobo Arbenz | ... | Himself, President of Guatemala (archive footage) (as President Arbenz) | |
| Mike Bradley | ... | Himself, Mayor of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada | |
| Arthur A. Busch | ... | Himself, County prosecutor, Flint, Michigan (as Arthur Busch) | |
| George Bush | ... | Himself (archive footage) (as Bush) | |
| George W. Bush | ... | Himself, President of the United States (archive footage) | |
| Michael Caldwell | ... | Himself, police detective | |
| Richard Castaldo | ... | Himself, Columbine victim | |
| Dick Clark | ... | Himself, restaurant owner | |
| Steve Davis | ... | Himself, deputy sheriff (archive footage) | |
| Ngo Dinh Diem | ... | Himself, President of South Vietnam (archive footage) (as President Diem) | |
| Byron Dorgan | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
| Mike Epstein | ... | Shopper in Mall | |
| Joe Farmer | ... | Himself, superintendent of schools (archive footage) | |
| Mike Fasolo | ... | Corporate Criminal (DVD only) (archive footage) | |
| Denny Fennell | ... | Himself, home security consultant | |
| Barry Glassner | ... | Himself, author of "The Culture of Fear" (as Prof. Barry Glassner) | |
| John Harris | ... | Himself (voice) | |
| Dick Herlan | ... | Himself (as Richard Herlan) | |
| Charlton Heston | ... | Himself, actor / NRA president | |
| Jeremy Hicks | ... | Himself, suspended student for wearing kilts (archive footage) | |
| Ernest F. Hollings | ... | Himself (archive footage) (as Senator Fritz Hollings) | |
| Jimmie Hughes | ... | Herself, principal of Buell Elementary School | |
| Dick Hurlin | ... | Himself, former producer of "Cops" | |
| Amanda Lamante | ... | Herself, Columbine student | |
| Mary Lorenz | ... | Herself, K-Mart official | |
| Marilyn Manson | ... | Himself, entertainer | |
| Daniel Mauser | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
| Tom Mauser | ... | Himself, father of victim | |
| Evan McCollum | ... | Himself, Lockheed Martin public relations | |
| Timothy McVeigh | ... | Himself, Oklahoma City bomber (archive footage) | |
| Carey McWilliams | ... | Himself, blind gun owner (archive footage) | |
| Gerald Miller | ... | Himself, Welfare-to-Work creator (archive footage) | |
| Michael Moore | ... | Himself / Narrator | |
| Mohammed Mossadegh | ... | Himself, Prime Minister of Iran (archive footage) (as Prime Minister Mossadeq) | |
| James Nichols | ... | Himself, brother of Terry Nichols | |
| Terry Nichols | ... | Himself, Oklahoma City bombing accomplice (archive footage) | |
| Manuel Noriega | ... | Himself, President of Panama (archive footage) | |
| Tamarla Owens | ... | Herself, mother of boy who shot girl (archive footage) | |
| Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi | ... | Himself, Shah of Iran (archive footage) | |
| Robert J. Pickell | ... | Himself, sheriff of Flint, Michigan (as Sheriff Robert Pickell) | |
| Augusto Pinochet | ... | Himself, Chilean dictator (archive footage) | |
| Jeff Rossen | ... | Himself, FOX reporter (archive footage) | |
| David Satcher | ... | Himself (archive footage) (as Dr. David Satcher) | |
| Nicole Schlief | ... | Herself | |
| David Smith | ... | Himself, Sarah's husband (voice) (archive footage) | |
| Susan Smith | ... | Herself, child murderess (archive footage) | |
| Matt Stone | ... | Himself, former Columbine student | |
| Mark Taylor | ... | Himself, Columbine victim | |
| Salvador Allende | ... | Himself, President of Salvador (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Denise Ames | ... | Sexy girl with gun (uncredited) | |
| John Ashcroft | ... | Himself, Attorney General (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Dick Cheney | ... | Himself, Vice President of the United States (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Bill Clinton | ... | Himself, President of the United States, 1993-2001 (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Jeff Doucett | ... | Himself, man shot at airport (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| R. Budd Dwyer | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Leon Errol | ... | Actor in movie clip (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Eric Harris | ... | Himself, Columbine murderer (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Adolf Hitler | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Rob Huebel | ... | Man getting frisked (uncredited) | |
| Brandon T. Jackson | ... | Himself (uncredited) | |
| Daniel V. Jones | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| John Kerry | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Dylan Klebold | ... | Himself, Columbine murderer (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Joseph Lieberman | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Dennis Morgan | ... | Actor in movie clip (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Harold Moss | ... | Character in 'A Brief History of the United States of America' (voice) (uncredited) | |
| Oliver North | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Gary Plauche | ... | Himself, gunman at airport (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Prince Charles | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Pat Robertson | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Chris Rock | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Donald Rumsfeld | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Jessica Savitch | ... | Herself (archive footage) (uncredited) |
Directed by | |||
| Michael Moore | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Michael Moore | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Chris Aldred | .... | field producer | |
| Gillian Aldrich | .... | field producer | |
| Charles Bishop | .... | producer | |
| Jim Czarnecki | .... | producer | |
| Michael Donovan | .... | producer | |
| Kurt Engfehr | .... | co-producer | |
| Jeff Gibbs | .... | field producer | |
| Kathleen Glynn | .... | producer | |
| Tia Lessin | .... | supervising producer | |
| Michael Moore | .... | producer | |
| Meghan O'Hara | .... | field producer | |
| Siobhan Oldham | .... | line producer | |
| Charlie Siskel | .... | field producer | |
| Wolfram Tichy | .... | executive producer | |
| Rehya Young | .... | coordinating producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Jeff Gibbs | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Kurt Engfehr | |||
Art Department | |||
| Ryan Sias | .... | storyboard designer: animation sequence (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Joe Caterini | .... | supervising sound editor | |
| Rob Daly | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Rob Daly | .... | sound effects editor | |
| James Demer | .... | sound | |
| Patrick Donahue | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Patrick Donahue | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Brian Foley | .... | additional sound | |
| Matthew Haasch | .... | dialogue editor (as Matt Haasch) | |
| Matthew Haasch | .... | sound effects editor (as Matt Haasch) | |
| Francisco La Torre | .... | sound (as Francisco Latorre) | |
| Tom Lino | .... | animation sound: FlickerLab | |
| Elizabeth Marcus | .... | additional sound editor | |
| Reilly Steele | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Peter Waggoner | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| David K. Grant | .... | sound recordist (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Chris Bell | .... | additional camera operator | |
| Mike Casey | .... | additional camera operator | |
| Brian Danitz | .... | camera operator | |
| Mike Desjarlais | .... | additional camera operator (as Michael Desjarlais) | |
| Craig Hymson | .... | additional camera operator | |
| Mikey Jackson | .... | assistant camera | |
| Edward C. Kukla | .... | additional camera operator | |
| Michael McDonough | .... | camera operator | |
| Joe Monge | .... | video supervisor | |
Animation Department | |||
| Matthew Bookbinder | .... | animator: FlickerLab | |
| David Concepcion | .... | animator: FlickerLab | |
| Gaia Cornwall | .... | animator: FlickerLab | |
| Miguel Hernandez | .... | animator: FlickerLab | |
| Harold Moss | .... | animator: FlickerLab | |
| Ryan Sias | .... | character designer: FlickerLab | |
| Kareem Thompson | .... | animator: FlickerLab | |
| Aneurin Wright | .... | animator: FlickerLab | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Lou Acosta | .... | assistant on-line editor | |
| Jon Budine | .... | additional on-line editor | |
| Karl George | .... | assistant on-line editor | |
| Bob Gleason | .... | on-line editor | |
| Luis Ortiz Guillen | .... | assistant editor | |
| Shannon Guirl | .... | assistant editor | |
| Walter Lefler | .... | colorist | |
| Mike Maguire | .... | colorist | |
| Frederick O'Neill | .... | assistant on-line editor | |
| David Pultz | .... | color timer | |
| Todd Woody Richman | .... | associate editor (as T. Woody Richman) | |
| Kristine Smith | .... | assistant editor | |
| Jane Tolmachyov | .... | colorist (as Jane Tolmachy) | |
| Laura Weinberg | .... | assistant editor | |
| David S. Tung | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Christine Bergren | .... | music clearances | |
| David Wilson | .... | music editor | |
| David Wilson | .... | music recordist | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Josh Fifarek | .... | driver: cast | |
| David Waszak | .... | production driver: Mr. Moore (uncredited) | |
| David Waszak | .... | transportation coordinator (uncredited) | |
Thanks | |||
| John Alberts | .... | in memory of | |
| Terry Allen | .... | thanks | |
| Tanya Balian | .... | thanks | |
| Elfin Baumed | .... | thanks | |
| Brooks Brown | .... | thanks | |
| Arthur A. Busch | .... | thanks (as Art Busch) | |
| Lynne Carter | .... | thanks | |
| Richard Castaldo | .... | thanks | |
| Herb Cleeves Jr. | .... | in memory of | |
| Annie Cohen | .... | thanks (as Ann Cohen) | |
| Rita Dagher | .... | thanks | |
| Rick DeCroix | .... | thanks | |
| Ric Dispenseri | .... | thanks (as Ric Dispensari) | |
| Joanne Doroshow | .... | thanks | |
| Colleen Fick | .... | thanks | |
| Daniel Fick | .... | thanks | |
| Harold Ford | .... | thanks | |
| Barry Glassner | .... | special thanks (as Prof. Barry Glassner, USC) | |
| Donna Glynn | .... | special thanks: our parents | |
| James Glynn | .... | special thanks: our parents | |
| Pete Hamill | .... | thanks | |
| Dave Hamilton | .... | thanks | |
| Alan Hayling | .... | thanks | |
| Jennifer Hogan | .... | thanks | |
| Jennifer Horton | .... | thanks | |
| Laurent Issure | .... | thanks | |
| Carole Kabrin | .... | acknowledgment: still photographs courtesy of | |
| Jim Kiertzner | .... | thanks | |
| Barbara Kramer | .... | thanks | |
| David Lowery | .... | thanks | |
| Rebecca MacKenzie | .... | thanks (as Rebecca Mackenzie) | |
| Douglas Maio | .... | thanks | |
| Marilyn Manson | .... | thanks | |
| Bob Mastronardi | .... | thanks | |
| Tom Mauser | .... | thanks | |
| Joyce Maynard | .... | thanks | |
| Connie Michalik | .... | thanks | |
| Craig Michalik | .... | thanks | |
| Elliot Mintz | .... | thanks | |
| Anne Moore | .... | thanks | |
| Frank Moore | .... | special thanks: our parents | |
| Kelsey Binder Moore | .... | thanks (as Kelsey Binder) | |
| Veronica Moore | .... | special thanks: our parents | |
| Veronica Moore | .... | thanks | |
| Matt Nodella | .... | thanks (as Matthew Nodella) | |
| Yoko Ono | .... | thanks | |
| Trey Parker | .... | thanks | |
| Tony Proffer | .... | thanks | |
| Sam Riddle | .... | thanks | |
| Dale Ringlein | .... | thanks | |
| Chris Rock | .... | thanks | |
| Robbi Siegel | .... | thanks | |
| Matt Stone | .... | thanks | |
| Bill Sulzman | .... | thanks | |
| Mark Taylor | .... | thanks | |
| Doug Vaughan | .... | thanks | |
| Amanda Wilcox | .... | thanks | |
| Laura Wilcox | .... | in memory of | |
| Nick Wilcox | .... | thanks | |
| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| News articles | IMDb Documentary section | IMDb Canada section |
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First let me say that, as a person (a Canadian for anybody who might question if all the negative reviews are from the USA) who doesn't care for guns and has no interest in them -- I've never even held one -- upon first viewing of "Bowling for Columbine" I was a fan. I loved this film. I even bought the DVD. I thought it was a brilliant documentary and that its presentation of the facts was spot on.
However, the scene where Moore talks about a bomber on display in the desert and the army plaque beneath it always made me wonder exactly how honest he was being, since what he claimed the plaque said sounded too outrageous to me. It kept on grating me until about a year later I began to actually research his film and found that nearly every single thing Moore presents in BFC is either heavily manipulated facts or bald-faced deceptions.
Take the scene of him getting a gun for opening an account at a bank. What he does not show is that there was a criminal background check including photo ID check and an FBI background check. Then, to get the gun, he had to open a 10 year Certificate of Deposit... basically he had to deposit nearly $1000 before he could get the gun, not the smartest idea compared to just buying a gun if that's the only intent. Even then, when Moore gets his gun and asks about the safety of handing out guns in the bank, the audience is duped into forgetting a large portion of Moore's handing-out-a-gun-at-a-bank safety joke: the bank doesn't supply the ammunition!
You even have his little cartoon where he tries to link the NRA to the KKK... never mind that him saying the NRA was formed the same year that the KKK was declared an illegal organization is 100% wrong... never mind that the NRA was actually formed by Northern Yankee's who fought AGAINST slavery... never mind that the NRA was primarily created in reaction to Southern laws that would ban blacks from owning firearms (the exact opposite of the cartoon's suggestion the NRA wanted to suppress blacks and leave them defenseless)... never mind that the cartoon is a South Park rip-off, presented after an interview with South Park creator Matt Stone in order to make it seem like the cartoon was made by the creators of South Park. I mean, no wonder Matt Stone hates Moore and made him a target of insults in his "Team America: World Police" movie. Talk about complete deception from every angle.
What's worse is that he is even hypocritical in how he talks about America's culture of fear and how the media tries to instill fear in the population, and yet that is EXACTLY what BFC is: a film that presents manipulated facts in order to create fear. Probably the best refutation of BFC one can find is the in-depth article by Dave Kopel called "Bowling Truths" that literally shreds BFC from beginning to end, showing it to be -- as he puts it -- more of a 'mockumentary' in the vein of "This is Spinal Tap" than a serious documentary outlining anything close to reality.
In terms of gun control issues, if you really want an intelligent look at the problems of gun control, check out the episode of Penn & Teller's Bullsh*t on gun control. Now THAT is an intelligent and more importantly an HONEST delving into gun control. But if you are looking for facts and honesty in subject matter, you couldn't find a worse choice than BFC.
BFC is insulting to anybody who would be willing to take the time and educate themselves on exactly how honest Moore is. If you think BFC is truthful and honest, go read Kopel's article (readily available on the net) and you'll see how much Moore stretches the truth. I mean, even the film's title is deceptive since -- as even the preliminary police report states -- the two shooters at Columbine never showed up for bowling that morning! I still own the DVD, if only to show people a perfect example of how sheep can be led around if they don't stop and ask whether what they are hearing is real. BFC offers little reality and a lot of political brouhaha that does little for intelligent discussion on gun control. In that, he has hurt the gun control movement more than he has helped it.
(And by the way, people in Canada do lock their doors. I have to wonder how many doors he had to try in order to get his shots of every door being open.)