Michael Moore's documentaries are heavily criticized for their one-sided portrayal of the films topic. People don't seem to realize that nearly all documentaries (with the main exception of Ken Burns' work and nature docs like Planet Earth) are biased. However, Bowling For Columbine is a pretty objective look at why Americans have more gun-related deaths than any other developed country. Moore mainly uses the Columbine shooting and the shooting of a six year old girl named Kayla by another six year old as his big examples of the violence in America.
Moore interviews a wide variety of people from law officials to Columbine survivors to Canadian citizens to shock-rocker Marilyn Manson. He interviews Canadian citizens and politicians as to why Canada, despite having 7 million guns in 10 million houses, has only a few gun deaths a year. Michael uses Canadian interviews juxtaposed against Americans' opinions why gun violence is so prevalent in the US. All the reasons people list are refuted as Canada has the same issues and population.
Moore spends the bulk of the film analyzing the Columbine massacre (makes sense; Columbine's in the title), and interviews people who knew the boys, survivors, Lockheed Martin execs (the company that made the weapons), and the outspoken father of one of the victims. The best interview, however, is with Marilyn Manson. Manson received a lot of blame for the massacre basically for being weird and a rock star. He has the most articulate musings on the killing. You can tell as Michael interviews him that Manson has thought long and hard about this. As someone who became a scapegoat for no justifiable reason, he has studied the event and what may have actually caused it, something the media never really did. He gives the most thought-provoking response in the entire film when Moore asks him what he would say to Eric Harris, on of the Columbine shooters. Without hesitation he says "I wouldn't have said anything to him, I would have listened to what he had to say." Anyone who considers Manson a brainless, evil rocker should check out this interview.
Moore, a member of the NRA, doesn't condemn the organization, though he strongly objects to some rallies that Charlton Heston held following both of the shootings Michael covers. Many accuse Moore of bullying, but in his interview with Heston, Michael is the calm one. Where some would just lay blame at Heston's feet, Moore is genuinely interested in the man's opinion of the root of the number of gun deaths.
Despite funny interaction, powerful archival footage, and captivating interviews, the film is not without flaws. While Moore investigates the cause of the death of Little Kayla, he confronts Dick Clark because the mother of the boy who shot the girl worked a second job at Dick Clark's restaurant. Dick Clark has the thinnest possible tie to the case, yet Moore makes him out to look like a jerk for not granting an interview. This is where the accusation of bullying could be valid. Also, he uses certain camera shots to suggest things about some people (Clark, Heston, and an LA sergeant) that may or may not be true. He makes them into jerks or racists, which really can't be determined by a little camera work though it can mislead. Still, this is a wonderful look into violence and the media that feeds it.
Moore interviews a wide variety of people from law officials to Columbine survivors to Canadian citizens to shock-rocker Marilyn Manson. He interviews Canadian citizens and politicians as to why Canada, despite having 7 million guns in 10 million houses, has only a few gun deaths a year. Michael uses Canadian interviews juxtaposed against Americans' opinions why gun violence is so prevalent in the US. All the reasons people list are refuted as Canada has the same issues and population.
Moore spends the bulk of the film analyzing the Columbine massacre (makes sense; Columbine's in the title), and interviews people who knew the boys, survivors, Lockheed Martin execs (the company that made the weapons), and the outspoken father of one of the victims. The best interview, however, is with Marilyn Manson. Manson received a lot of blame for the massacre basically for being weird and a rock star. He has the most articulate musings on the killing. You can tell as Michael interviews him that Manson has thought long and hard about this. As someone who became a scapegoat for no justifiable reason, he has studied the event and what may have actually caused it, something the media never really did. He gives the most thought-provoking response in the entire film when Moore asks him what he would say to Eric Harris, on of the Columbine shooters. Without hesitation he says "I wouldn't have said anything to him, I would have listened to what he had to say." Anyone who considers Manson a brainless, evil rocker should check out this interview.
Moore, a member of the NRA, doesn't condemn the organization, though he strongly objects to some rallies that Charlton Heston held following both of the shootings Michael covers. Many accuse Moore of bullying, but in his interview with Heston, Michael is the calm one. Where some would just lay blame at Heston's feet, Moore is genuinely interested in the man's opinion of the root of the number of gun deaths.
Despite funny interaction, powerful archival footage, and captivating interviews, the film is not without flaws. While Moore investigates the cause of the death of Little Kayla, he confronts Dick Clark because the mother of the boy who shot the girl worked a second job at Dick Clark's restaurant. Dick Clark has the thinnest possible tie to the case, yet Moore makes him out to look like a jerk for not granting an interview. This is where the accusation of bullying could be valid. Also, he uses certain camera shots to suggest things about some people (Clark, Heston, and an LA sergeant) that may or may not be true. He makes them into jerks or racists, which really can't be determined by a little camera work though it can mislead. Still, this is a wonderful look into violence and the media that feeds it.