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:

health care | france | canada | cuba | hmo | 

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Taglines:

What seems to be the problem?

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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:

Michael Moore Official Website Official site [Germany]

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 USA:

$68,969, 24 June 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$24,540,079, 18 October 2007

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,105,392, 31 October 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dog Eat Dog Films,The Weinstein Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The premise of Sicko (2007) was inspired by healthcare segments on Michael Moore's old tv shows, TV Nation (1994) and The Awful Truth (1999).

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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

Features Nasa mala klinika (2004)

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Soundtracks

Grand Central
(uncredited)
Music by Werner Tautz
Extreme Music Library

User Reviews

Shocking indictment on American health system

This documentary is an expose on the capitalist nature of the American health system.

Quite frankly I was shocked at how unfair this system is. Michael Moore was able to show a well balanced account of this sensitive topic, talking to a wide range of people affected by this crisis, from patients to politicians.

The statistics and practices of these corporations and the lengths they go to turn a profit is downright evil. People are literally being given a death sentence, if they can't pay the expenses. I would not go to to the U.S for a holiday after viewing this.

Every US citizen should view this documentary to see the real damage corporate medicine can do. Very powerful, heart felt documentary. This should be viewed in American schools. Essential viewing.