Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
(Release Date: June 25, 2004)
(Premiere: May 17, 2004 [Cannes Film Festival])

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J.C. Maçek III The World's Greatest Critic! My name is J.C. Maçek III, and I'm a Liberal. No, that's not an admission that I have a problem, but it is an admission that this is one of the hardest reviews I've ever had to write. Does my being a Liberal have any bearing on my review of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11? Well, does my being a Catholic have any bearing on my review of The Passion of the Christ? In both cases, probably not much, but Full Disclosure, Full Disclosure. This is also a hard one to write because no one is ever going to agree with any given four people on this film, or the issues therein. Therefore, I'm going to have to review this as a movie, and not delve into my own personal politics. I have no need to do Michael Moore's job for him, and sure as Smirnoff is sweet, I have no intention of doing the job of the Right for them. Is Fahrenheit 9/11 a well done Documentary? It is! Is it worth seeing? Yes, either side of the aisle should see it. Is it perfect? No. Is it fair and balanced? Well... of course not, and Michael Moore will tell you the same. This isn't his lay-bare of the facts... no, this is propaganda, and he admits it. This is Moore's own "Op Ed Piece" in his own words, and you can take his opinions for whatever you think they're worth, just as you might take mine. I'm a film critic... Moore is a Government Critic! That said, this is a movie about the truth, and while it's the Truth as filtered through Moore, it's laded with verifiable fact, and it's as provable as it is debatable. Moore takes us from the defeat of Al Gore through the early vacations of the subject of this film (one George W. Bush) through 9/11 and on to Iraq... up until somewhere around... well, now. It's obvious where old Mikey's allegiances lie, and if you get past that, you need to sit through the whole thing to see what Moore has to say. Flawed though it may be, where else are you going to see this stuff? This film is pretty much for the Left, and swing voters may, or may not be swayed. The particularly well-informed might add that there's not a lot new said in this film, but for those less plugged in (or those who get most of their news from the Newscorp Affiliated Subsidiaries) this might be quite original. Has anyone particularly hid the fact that the Bush Family has had a relationship with Saudi Royalty? Not really! But there are a lot of folks who didn't know it. Along with Moore's telling of the facts that a lot of us won't hear on the news, Moore edits his footage to fit his agenda (he's made it clear that he wants Bush out of the White House), and that makes for an obviously slanted film. By that respect, as much truth is oozing from this good film, it's hard to imagine anyone intelligent on the fence being swept up by Moore and voting Kerry! It's obvious propaganda, but it should be seen. There's no denying the honesty of the Michigan wife from a military family weeping in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at the loss of her son in Iraq. You can deny some of Fahrenheit 9/11... but you can't deny all of it! Being a documentary, there's no Plot to recap, but some standouts include Moore's take on the President at War, and, most especially, the reaction among supporters and non-supporters to that War, and, of course, the Patriot Act. The emotions pulled from those who've faced very real losses and the shocking imagery from Iraq and Afghanistan that you won't see on the News all form a heart-wrenching shocker that is informative and daring. It's also skewed, and that's a fact that shouldn't keep you from watching it. Why? Moore is trying to corrupt people just enough to make them think. Is he Anti-American? No... he's not even Anti-Saudi! He's trying to make a difference and if he makes you mad, maybe that's the difference he's trying to make. Look here... he will make you mad. The conservatives, the liberals, the middle-of-the-roaders... all of you will get mad at something, and intentional or not, a lot of the time, that something is named "Michael Moore!" Does he get his point across though? Yes. Is this just one long Negative Campaign Ad that he makes you pay for? Actually... no. What do I mean? See the film! If you don't want to pay for it, I'll create a diversion while you sneak in, that's fine, just see it! Liberals: You should see this film because this film shows some of the real problems that we've got out there... and, yes... in here! You should walk out and use your brain... do the research, find out what's true, find out what you agree with... find out what you don't... and find out what you can do! Fencers: You in-the-middles... you might not be swayed by this because of the obvious slant-and-edit that Moore does here (and that he admits to). But, don't be turned off... let this make you think... If you're not sure what to believe, take what Moore says and go to the Library, surf the net and discover for yourself. You might be damned glad you did! It's okay if you don't like Michael Moore... I'm not even sure if I like him, but I don't let anyone, be it him or anyone else, make my mind up for me! Don't you either. Listen to him, then formulate your own... but if you don't listen to him, how do you know what else is out there? Conservatives: There's one obvious reason that you should see Fahrenheit 9/11, that being, you should know what you're complaining about! Think he's full of rocket-fuel? Prove him wrong! Know what he's saying, then, think about it... make your own web site, make your own interview, make your own documentary! Do everything, just don't ignore it because you think you're sure you won't agree. But let's go one step further... What if... just what if... there's a grain of truth here that you've never thought of. If a whistle-blower in Enron is a good thing, isn't a governmental whistle-blower for the government good? Should we turn a blind eye to the government and hope they're doing everything right? Or should we all investigate? The Bill of Rights guarantees our right to petition the Government and to make our grievances known. Folks, I don't think I'm Liberal to say it's not "Treason" to question the government... It's Patriotic. Questioning helps us weed out the problems in any system. It doesn't matter if you're Conservative, Liberal, or just... neither... It's your duty to think. And we should let Moore freely think too! I'm sure to get hate mail on this one... either from the Liberals who think I shouldn't report the skew or the Conservatives who think that Michael Moore is the Anti-Christ. Hey, I'm just trying to be fair and balanced here! Four Stars out of Five for Michael Moore's great, yet imperfect Fahrenheit 9/11! Think what you want, but wait till you see it, legally or illegally! On one hand he did steal the title from Ray Bradbury (and old Ray's pissed), but on the other hand... in the entire 112 minutes there's not a single image of a certain Twin Towers burning. Take from that what you will. But take this opinion: Fahrenheit 9/11 is powerful without it. Tell me what you think, by clicking on the "Write it!" Link below... but wait until you've seen it! See it now, though, because one way or the other this is a dated film, relevant for not as long as some. Think twice before bringing the kiddos though... Moore famously fought the "R" Rating this movie got, but I'd uphold it like an MPAA Bra! Hully Gee! Well, be that as it may, and who knows if it is, I'll see you in the next reel!