Not being a fan of Michael Moore politically or in general, I felt I needed to watch this film for two reasons. One, I currently am a High School student and have been interested in the subject of Columbine for a few years, and two because the second amendment is something I believe in. I wondered how a documentary like this could be made, and what kind of source information would be used to back it up. In other words, I had a million questions, and two hours worth of answers.
This is the first Moore film I watched from start to finish. I turned off Capitalism: A Love Story because I didn't believe in it, and I couldn't comprehend everything being thrown on the screen. I've been saving Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko for when I'm older so I could give a mature review of those films, respectively. I shy away from a lot of political documentaries because I fear one slip of the tongue or keyboard will result in a gigantic uproar. I hate politics, I know very little about them, and I don't believe I should lose fans or a friendship for which side of the ballot I support.
Bowling for Columbine explores America's unhealthy obsession with firearms. He questions why America had over 11,000 gun murders in the year 2002, and Canada had such a mere comparison to that. Canada gets all the same television, video games, and weaponry we do. Why is their gun death toll so low compared to ours? It's not only shocking, but scary as well. That was 2002. I couldn't imagine what shocking number it's at now.
I'm a heavy American supporter, but this is the kind of thing that taints our reputation and is another red flag other countries use to bash us. This needs to stop. What are we doing wrong? Is it because the USA's first instinct when something is wrong is to fight back, and not simply talk it over? The documentary is humorous in places, but you question if what you're laughing at is right. BOC has quite a few bad laughs, but a number of serious points to put the movie back on track. My favorite scene is the animated American history lesson shown about half way through the film. That was well done. Funny, yes. True, shockingly.
My favorite scene in the film was when Moore takes Columbine shooting victims Mark Taylor and Richard Castaldo to the K-Mart headquarters in Troy, Michigan to demand a refund for the seventeen cent bullets still lodged in both the boy's bodies. I won't ruin anything about the scene, but it's definitely what sealed the deal to me saying "this is a good Michael Moore film." Bowling for Columbine is factual, and interesting as far as documentaries go. It's difficult to review them because you can't really critique the acting or production values, and it seems like you're just rehashing events in the film and stating which ones you liked. No documentary I've reviewed like Going to Pieces and Google Me I've felt I've done proper justice to. But I can't recall the last time I extremely hated a documentary.
Starring: Michael Moore. Directed by: Michael Moore.
