Sicko (2007)

A documentary comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories including shotgun deaths.

Director:

Michael Moore

Writer:

Michael Moore

Stars:

Michael Moore, Tucker Albrizzi, Tony Benn

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Michael Moore	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tucker Albrizzi	...	Himself
Tony Benn	...	Himself
George W. Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
Reggie Cervantes	...	Herself
Bill Clinton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Hillary Clinton	...	Herself (archive footage) (as Hillary Rodham Clinton)
Billy Crystal	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Graham	...	Himself
Aleida Guevara	...	Herself
William Maher	...	Himself
Richard Nixon	...	Himself (archive footage)
Patrick Pedraja	...	Himself
Linda Peeno	...	Herself

Storyline

Documentary look at health care in the United States as provided by profit-oriented health maintenance organizations (HMOs) compared to free, universal care in Canada, the U.K., and France. Moore contrasts U.S. media reports on Canadian care with the experiences of Canadians in hospitals and clinics there. He interviews patients and doctors in the U.K. about cost, quality, and salaries. He examines why Nixon promoted HMOs in 1971, and why the Clintons' reform effort failed in the 1990s. He talks to U.S. ex-pats in Paris about French services, and he takes three 9/11 clean-up volunteers, who developed respiratory problems, to Cuba for care. He asks of Americans, "Who are we?"

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Plot Keywords:

france | canada | cuba | hmo | guantanamo | 

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Taglines:

Get well soon.

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Genres:

Documentary | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany] Offiical site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Spanish Russian

Release Date:

3 July 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

SiCKO

Filming Locations:

Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$68,969 (USA) (22 June 2007)

Gross:

$24,530,513 (USA) (12 October 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dog Eat Dog Films, Weinstein Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Insurance companies banned employees from being interviewed in the documentary.

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Goofs

The Italian version consistently mistranslates "bone marrow" as "spinal cord" (in Italian the two terms are more similar).

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Quotes

[first lines]
George W. Bush: We got issue in America. Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their... their love with women all across the country.

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Crazy Credits

"Americans interested in marrying Canadians for healthcare go to www.hook-a-canuck.com" (the actual website does not use the hyphens).

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Connections

Edited from Killers from Space (1954)

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Soundtracks

Secret Pint
Written by Stuart Braithwaite (as Stuart Braithewaite)
Performed by Mogwai
Courtesy of Matador Records & PIAS Recordings

User Reviews

An Entertaining Film

While it may not win any awards, when looked at purely as a film, this documentary by Michael Moore is an entertaining and interesting one. It presents all the facts (whether you consider them to be biased or not) in the typical Michael Moore style (heavy on the sarcasm and wit) that we've all gotten used to by now and in an easy to digest format. As this is IMDb and people should rate movies based on their values as films rather than opinions expressed, I think it's best to refrain from mentioning Mr. Moore's obvious view on the American health care system. However, if at all you're interested in learning more about the system or simply want to watch an entertaining documentary, I suggest you go out and watch this film when it arrives in cinemas near you.