IMDb > Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Bowling for Columbine
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Bowling for Columbine (2002) More at IMDbPro »

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Bowling for Columbine (2002) -- Filmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
Bowling for Columbine (2002) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
8.2/10   73,539 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Michael Moore (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Bowling for Columbine on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 October 2002 (France) more
Tagline:
Is America a nation of gun nuts? Or just nuts? more
Plot:
Filmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 28 wins & 7 nominations more
User Comments:
Technique = 8... Honesty in Presentation = 0 more (854 total)

Cast

 
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)
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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 
 
Production Management
David Coole .... post-production supervisor
Jenipher Ritchie .... executive in charge of production: Salter Street Films
Dirk Wilutzky .... executive in charge of production: VIF 2
 
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)
 
Other crew
Alexandra Bauermeister .... legal affairs: VIF 2
Debra Beck .... production accountant
Susan H. Bodine .... legal services (as Sue Bodine)
Kelly Bray .... business and legal affairs: Salter Street Films
Rebecca Richman Cohen .... intern
Phaea Crede .... intern
Carl Deal .... chief archivist
Christina DiCerbo .... intern
Josh Fifarek .... production assistant
Lloyd Forcellini .... technical supervisor
Gregory A. Fortner .... production assistant
Lana Garland .... archival staff
Sandy Green .... production accountant
Heike Günther .... production accountant (as Heike Guenther)
Karen Herron .... production assistant
Andreas Hoessli .... archive footage provider
Jessica Hunkele .... intern
Andrew Hurwitz .... legal services
Craig Hymson .... production assistant
Jonathan Irvin .... assistant: Mr. Moore
Markus Janner .... digital supervisor
Catherine Johnston .... researcher
Floyd Kane .... business and legal affairs: Salter Street Films
John Kazlauskas .... production assistant
Gina Kim .... archival staff
Caitlin Krapf .... intern (as Caitlin Taylor)
Jayne Laube-Nelson .... production assistant
Nicky Lazar .... researcher
Donna Lee .... archival staff
Monika Lohrbeer .... production assistant
Dave MacDougall .... production accountant
Elizabeth Marcus .... researcher
Amy McCampbell .... archival researcher
Lizzy McCarron .... production assistant
Maureen McCarron .... production office manager
Donald McCloskey .... production assistant
Kenna McHugh .... production assistant
Shawn Miles .... production assistant
Katy Mostoller .... archival staff
Huttenberg Nassar .... production assistant
Bryn Neuenschwander .... intern
Alexandra Posada .... intern
Aneetha Rajan .... archival researcher
Hamid Razik .... production assistant
Rich Rinker .... production assistant
Daniel Rivera .... intern
Natalie Rose .... production assistant
George Rubacky .... laser transfer: Arri
Haim Samuels .... intern
Mara Sanchez .... intern
David Schankula .... researcher
Beth M. Schniebolk .... production accountant (as Beth Schniebolk)
Daniella Spinat .... intern
Jason Stoff .... technical finishing supervisor (as Jason E. Stoff)
Anne Sullivan .... production assistant
Charles Suydam .... engineer
Nancy Swartz .... archival staff
Alex Van Nortwick .... production assistant
David Waszak .... production assistant (as David Michael Waszak)
Reneira Wolff .... production accountant
Chris Yaffes .... intern
Cynthia Amsden .... publicist (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
 
Crew believed to be complete


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Bowling à Columbine (Canada: French title)
Bowling for Columbine (Germany)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for some violent images and language.
Runtime:
120 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating on appeal) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Italy:T | Brazil:12 | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | South Africa:10V (DVD rating) | South Africa:13V (theatrical rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:12 | Israel:PG | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #39324) | Iceland:12

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Contrary to popular belief, "South Park" (1997) creator Trey Parker and co-creator Matt Stone had nothing to do with the animated section of this film. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: As Charlton Heston walks away from Michael Moore in the final interview, the scene cuts repeatedly between Heston (point of view from behind Moore) and Moore (point of view from the stairs directly in front of Moore) holding a photo of the slain Flint, Michigan girl and asking Heston to look at it. When the POV is of Moore holding the photo, there is clearly no cameraman anywhere behind him. The same with the POV of Heston, there is clearly no cameraman anywhere in front of Moore. So the two POVs were not filmed simultaneously as the film implies. more
Quotes:
Michael Moore: Thank you for not shooting me. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Zomergasten: (#20.6)" (2007) more
Soundtrack:
In The Hall Of The Mountain King more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
101 out of 191 people found the following comment useful.
Technique = 8... Honesty in Presentation = 0, 12 July 2006
3/10
Author: Craig Estrella (Surecure) from Toronto, Canada

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.)

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