I like Michael Moore. I liked him since I saw "Roger and Me", many years ago. I admire his compassion for the less fortunate and his tenacity in going after the big sharks and exposing the rotten parts (and people) in our country's system. What I don't like is feeling manipulated. Moore's intentions are the best, his points are always good, but the execution is not that great, mostly in this film. He takes too many things out of context or exaggerates them, and in the end he overshoots the whole thing. Which reduces the impact of the film for viewers on both sides of the issue, in my opinion.
***SPOILERS***
For ex. the Havana hospital scene: a bit of a sham, in my opinion - maybe an involuntary one, but Moore should have gathered more facts before he decided to believe the fairy tale he and his companions lived in Havana. I grew up in a communist country. Had a group of American patients with cameras shown up at the best hospital in my country's capital city - like the one Moore went to - the best possible care (reserved only for the high rank Party officials and NEVER available to the general population) would have been given them, if only to keep appearances and show to the world, specifically the US, that the communist system "works".
This would have been a better documentary, with a stronger impact, had Moore relied more on statistics and scientific data, and less on emotional individual stories. Still, it's worth seeing - it has many eye-opening moments...
***SPOILERS***
For ex. the Havana hospital scene: a bit of a sham, in my opinion - maybe an involuntary one, but Moore should have gathered more facts before he decided to believe the fairy tale he and his companions lived in Havana. I grew up in a communist country. Had a group of American patients with cameras shown up at the best hospital in my country's capital city - like the one Moore went to - the best possible care (reserved only for the high rank Party officials and NEVER available to the general population) would have been given them, if only to keep appearances and show to the world, specifically the US, that the communist system "works".
This would have been a better documentary, with a stronger impact, had Moore relied more on statistics and scientific data, and less on emotional individual stories. Still, it's worth seeing - it has many eye-opening moments...