In the most provocative film of the year, Academy Award-winner Michael Moore presents a searing examination of the role played by greed and oil in the wake of the tragic events of 9/11. From Academy-Award winning director Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine). WINNER, Palme D’Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival, BEST PICTURE. DVD features:
* "The Release of Fahrenheit 9/11" featurette
* "Iraq, Pre-War" featurette: The people of Iraq on the eve of invasion
* "Homeland security, Miami style" featurette: Footage of the old men who patrol the Florida coast lookng for terrorists as part of the homeland security plan
* "Outside Abu Ghraib Prison"
* Eyewitness account from Samara, Iraq
* "Lila, D.C.": Lila Lipscomb at the Washington, D.C. premiere
* Arab-American comedians: Their acts and experiences after 9/11
* Extended interview: More with Abdul Henderson
* "Condi 9/11": Condoleezza Rice's 9/11 Commission testimony
* "Bush Rose Garden": George W. Bush's full press briefing after 9/11 Commission appearance
1 Let's show both sides of the story Michael...
I did enjoy watching this to an extent, but there were some things that were one sided. Like the time he was asking the politicians if they would get their kids to sign up in the army to go help in Iraq (one man stopped and looked at Moore like he was nuts) this was one sided.
WHAT IT DID NOT show you was how many of them proudly stuck out their chest and said "they are already there"..and walked off.
The Iraq conflict will forever be a topic of discussion, I do feel in many ways it is my generations "vietnam".
Moore does a good job to point out how so many companies are tied in with big oil, from citibank and the like. However the thing about that is, THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN! Since the 1950's, Suadi Oil has been tied in with major corporations in the states. This is not something new people!
Moore interviews a marine who says he will not return because "why go fight poor people to make them even more poor?". This is one marine people, I've talked to several Marines who have been to Iraq and they told me of how many Iraqi's have come up to them and said how they appreciate what we are doing, to get rid of the lawless insurgents who make thier life hell, and to give them an oppurtunity for freedom. We did find a WMD over there, his name was Saddam Hussein!
There are interesting tidbits that I did not know, but showing bush cutting a log on a ranch is not one of them. The president still has a job to do that encompasses far beyond what most of us could even fathom.
There are a couple other things you should watch after watching this. One is called Fahrenhype 911. It is but..a rebuttal to some of the things in the show, and I already listed a couple above. The other is called Celsius 41 or something like that. It Shows the planes smashing into the Towers, with Moore's voice in the background saying "I do not believe there is a threat of terrorism in this country today". It also shows a Moore supporter saying "I don't think dicatorships are bad, I mean, they probably have better health care than we do!"...images then play of mass graves and a man with his hand taped to a piece of plywood, while another man uses a machette to chop off his fingers. I guess the fingerless guy didn't vote for Saddam.
FahrenHYPE 9/11 shows how what they said was edited and manipulated, and all the Bush footage was shown uncut so you could see what was really said and manipulated in Michael Moore's film. This cannot be called a documentary because a documentary does not get edited so it shows one side of the story to sway opinion. That is what we have here...
Rent it, see it, but keep an open mind. There is always another side of the story. Showing kids flying kites and then showing tanks blowing up houses...well the kids are still flying their kites, and the houses were full of terrorists who had been running rogue in the country for years.
2 Burning Bush
"Fahrenheit 9/11" is one of those films, like Michael Moore's earlier "Bowling for Columbine" and Oliver Stone's "JFK," that polarizes audiences along political lines. If you like George W. Bush, chances are you'll hate "Fahrenheit 9/11;" if you can't stand Bush, you'll probably love it. There's little room for middle ground in today's sharply divided American electorate.
Many critics of "Fahrenheit 9/11" claim the film is factually inaccurate. However, very few details of the film have actually been refuted. What really angers many about this film is its premise: that Bush ignored the threat of terror before the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and then used the attacks as an excuse to advance a radical right-wing agenda that included an ill-advised invasion of Iraq (which had no involvement in the September 11 bombings).
Not exactly a cut-and-dried documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11" is more of an essay film that relies on documentary footage to underscore Moore's hypothesis. The footage and facts are expertly woven into a devastating indictment of Bush's policies. You may disagree with the way Moore connects the dots, but his evidence does come from the public record (including actual quotes from Bush and his administration).
For all the political weight it carries, "Fahrenheit 9/11" is entertaining as heck. Most of the comedy occurs in the film's first half. There are montages of Bush vacationing to (you guessed it) the Go-Go's "Vacation" and of Bush Sr. schmoozing with Saudis to REM's "Shiny Happy People." Moore examines the "Coalition of the Willing," finding that our allies include "superpowers" like Pulau, The Netherlands, and Costa Rica. (My favorite line: "Afghanistan? ...Oh, yeah. They had an army. OUR army!") Moore also milks the Patriot Act for laughs, hijacking an ice cream truck to announce its provisions to members of Congress (who admit they didn't actually read it).
As events draw nearer to the invasion of Iraq, the tone grows darker, and Moore gradually dispenses with humour in order to focus on the story of military mother Lila Lipscomb, whose son goes to serve in the war. Moore's delicate, sensitive handling of Lipscomb's heartbreaking story belies his reputation for guerilla filmmaking.
Near the end of the film, Moore offers this profound observation about our troops: "They serve so that we don't have to. They offer to give up their lives so that we can be free. It is, remarkably, their gift to us. And all they ask for in return is that we never send them into harm's way unless it is absolutely necessary. Will they ever trust us again?" Unfortunately, conservatives refused to address this and other valid questions raised by "Fahrenheit 9/11", instead focusing on discrediting Moore himself. They must have felt vindicated when Bush narrowly won reelection in 2004. But the election results do not invalidate the hypothesis of Moore's film. Rather, as our troops remain in Iraq, as American casualties mount, and as Bush's rationale for war fades into obscurity, "Fahrenheit 9/11" remains all too relevant.
3 Comments on the reviewers
This is my second review of F9/11. I wish to comment on the reviewers, because any way you interpret them, it's proof that Moore's movie has truly ignited a firestorm, judging from all the people who created an Amazon account exclusively to rate this film.
If you click on "see all my reviews," for a very high percentage of the usernames, their one and only Amazon review is for this movie! Certainly in light of the recent scandal of the reporter who was paid by the White House to promote its agenda, one can reasonably theorize that there are some political operatives registering on here and trashing the movie to bring down the average rating. In addition, this gives the impression that America is truly divided over this movie, whereas in reality it won the CBS People's Choice award for Best Picture, beating out two non-intellectual movies, Spiderman 2 and Shrek 2. Remember, the CBS People's Choice award is the only major movie awards ceremony in which the American People, not a panel of judges, cast the votes.
I am extremely suspicious of the one-star reviews that are short, and all say the same things. "Anti-American trash!" "Joseph Goebbels anyone?" "Socialist hate propaganda!" "Moore is a traitor!" "If you believe this, watch FahrenHYPE!" These reviews do not rebut intelligently any points in the movie. Not-so-coincidentally in my humble opinion, these are mainly the ones for whom F9/11 is their only customer review, for any product.
That conspiracy aside, it is nonetheless amazing how many people have gotten fired up - either way - to register on this site just to review Mr. Moore's movie. It shows that political debate in this country is finally beginning to awaken! We need people like Michael Moore more often, whether you agree with his views, filmmaking techniches, or not!
4 Whats wrong with the US
I've been sitting here reading the reviews of this movie and am sooo disapointed with my countrymen. The only group of people who could possibly fall for this piece of left wing propoganda are those who get the news from Hollywood. If you want to know whats going on in Iraq talk to the hero's who have fought there. In this war or the last. If you want to get all the "facts" dont go to the fools that live in Hollywood. Try watching more than just your local news. Watch all news programs CNN, FOX, BBC or for those out there who can read pick up some newspapers. Bush is'nt God but, Moore is'nt either. Please start using YOUR brains and stop buying into whats shown to you.
5 Strictly propoganda from the left.
Not worth the money. Anyone who thinks this is unbiased needs a reality check. This guy, Moore, simply has an axe to grind. If you want to watch it go ahead. It is your money to waste.
6 thought provoking
Although there may be some clever placement of factual content in order to steer the viewer in one direction, Michael Moore still covers all the facts.
It might not be the exact truth, but it sure makes you stop and think about all the events....
7 I wonder who the Amazon editorial reviewer voted for....
Sometimes when someone believes so obsessively in a certain philosophy it becomes hard for that person to destinguish between opinions and facts. What one needs to keep in mind is that the "facts" cannot "speak for themselves" (as the editorial review says) if they are not believable as true facts or not sufficiently proven. The viewpoint in the film is weakly presented and seems to be based more on what Moore wants to be true than what he can prove to be true. The argument is tenuous and juvenile and reasoning is often subsituted by low and base satire, the kind that could be made of anyone (for example, footage of Paul Wolfowitz combing his hair with saliva or superimposing the heads of the party members on cowboys). The great irony is that Michael Moore never seems to consider the possible humor of filming a hypothetical documentary of himself trying reach around his fat to his less readily accessible parts in the shower or trying to fit into his briefs in the morning. The true shallowness of the film can be seen in one scene in particular, the scene where Moore is standing outside the congressional building passing out military enlistment flyers to congressmen asking them if they want their children to enlist. After a few hours of doing this, to the point where congressmen become annoyed with him and run away, he triumphantly concludes that his prediction was correct, that the congressmen would be repulsed by the flyers (although the thought probably never crossed Moore's mind that it may have been him repulsing the congressmen rather than the the flyers). The bottom line is that Moore seems to assume that proof is not necesary, that all people everywhere will automatically agree with him and the liberal doctrine and do not need to be presented with a mature argument of why they should follow it. I am sure that many Moore-ist liberals will go ahead and vote this review "not helpful" simply out of suspicion that I disagree with the film, but there are no "facts" in it that "speak for themselves." The only thing that speaks for itself is the obsessive urgency to sway the election results, an attempt that in the end proved to be inconsequential and unsuccesful.
8 The Man without a country
Number one, drop any idea that this is a factual account of 9/11. moore is probably the holder for the most lies told in one film. If you treat it as a piece of fiction, it is still unviewable. I kept saying to myself - where on earth did he get his supposed facts? I gave up and decided that this film should be relegated to the trash heap and never see the light of day in my house. Words fail me at the disgust I feel for this man and hence the title of my review. He is not an American, I don't know what he or it is. I cannot begin to list the outright prevarications in the film.
9 I still don't know...
Wow were to begin...
The Movie
I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 in theaters. I thought it was a well organized, focused, and crafted docu-movie maybe not 100% accurate but is worth seeing more than once. I recently bought the DVD and sat down with a friend and watched it together. After words were exchanged (we live in a red state) he wanted to see one of the Anti-Kerry or Anti-Moore films. The only trouble was we couldn't find Celsius 41.11 or FahrenHYPE 9/11. We here and there WE even WENT to WAL-MART!!!! Movies I had clearly seen in stores before the Election in November. Puzzled we went to there websites. (to be honest there websites looked more like fancy pop-ups then authentic movie sites.) In short we never saw them. Fahrenheit 9/11 was chosen out of 21 million people as the best film of 2004. IT BEAT SPIDERMAN 2!!!! And I'm not surprised. And after Moore's Attack on President Bush and the Media for there bias views on everything Bush puts out. There has been a slight change now CNN isn't afraid to point out our (embarrassing) illegal immigrant problems.
The War.
Iraq was no threat to the U.S. (at all) I do think that Saddam was a Terrorist. But, still no real threat. Hell we thought he was Funny! The Hot Shots Movies, the South Movie, Family Guy, and the List just goes on.
10 Brilliant!
Anyone who values citizenship and democracy will weep as members of the Congressional Black Caucus are demonized and humiliated by their own fellow representatives as they bravely fight the election theft of 2000. I applaud Michael Moore for putting himself in the crosshairs of a very dangerous game.
11 Why let us down?
Michael, Michael, Michael. Who are you really? An overblown American icon who has figured out a lucrrative niche and exploits it to the max? A true believer who wants a better world? You hype one thing and do another. Do you help the cause of peace or do you merely use it for your own benefit. You are angry at Bush but you wouldn''t mind us fighting the "right" war! You find a soft spot and make a big movie out of it while stuffing your belly and your pockets. I am so upset at you.You aren't sincere. You are an entertainer, No different than any of the Right Wing clowns who dance on the media stage. Stop pretending to be the real thing while making millions with the "oh poor me" publicity stunts. You have so much access, do something truthful with it!
12 What we already knew, plus some
Great documentary. It shows what we already knew in the rest of the world, but only half of Americans knew (and know) - that Bush has played half of Americans for a fool, and that the war in Iraq was always about oil (not "WOMD") and taking out the man that made daddy look like fool. Bush's close ties with the Bin Ladens was an eyeopener though. One politician I feel a bit sorry for, who was portrayed as one of Bush's corrupt elite henchmen (ie Dick, Donald, etc), is Colin Powell - he's already expressed regrets over his part in the war, something that Bush and his posse will never do. Also, seeing who the "American Soldiers" were fighting over in Iraq (young kids/adults similar if not a bit younger than me) put a new perspective on reports of them being killed or injured (this was the first time I've seen footage of injured soldiers out of Iraq). And of course one has to feel sympathy for the innocent Iraqies killed and injured by the military action, and those that have been and are being taken away for no just reason. I would've liked to have seen something on the Gwantanomo (?) Bay prison though.
13 Wow!
It's been some time since I saw it for the first time, but I never get sick of watching it over and over again. How on earth did Bush get re elected?
EVerything in the film is factual, to the point and makes you think.
Too bad half the Americans didn't think when they voted though.
14 Wow, what a film. . . .AND BUSH STILL WON
Before I say anything, I did not vote for anyone in 2004. However, this film, it defiantly shed a new light on the Bush Administration to me. I must say, this was a very startling and controversial film Michael Moore has made. Even with all the evidence and shockers shown, that really did not sway voters at all. Great film, but I am stunned it did not make a difference to the American people. The film contains a lot of information that Bush supporters refute and deny.
15 Dross
The movie shocked me in how bad it was, how Moore strung together a bunch of scenes and tried, unsuccessfully to make an overarching political theme out of it. It is just shocking how bad this is. Facts are wrong, conclusions are wrong. It is a very, very manipulative film. Bush should have no fear of this. The liberals think this is a canon, and it is a popgun.
16 A thought provoking documentary
I thought this movie gave a lot of good information about President Bush and the war in Iraq. Watching the interviews of parents whose children had been killed in the war really makes you think about why we are in Iraq. I've heard many people say that this movie is extremely bias and untrue; but in reality, Michael Moore provided a lot of accurate facts. This documentary covered a lot, from talking to politicians, and everyday people, to soldiers and citizens of Iraq. I thought seeing this documentary was a good experience, and hope others see it to, because it really makes you think.
17 BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love this dvd. Michael Moore is sooooooooooo cool. I love it buy it
18 "FahrenHYPE 9/11"
I saw this film and thought "well it is clearly one sided but in some points it seemed true and the interviews seemed genuine". But some things sounded fishy and down right propaganda. Then to be fair I saw the other view "FahrenHYPE 9/11",and my eyes were opened wide. the same people interviewed in Fahrenheit 9/11 were also in FahrenHYPE 9/11 saying how what they said was edited and manipulated, and all the Bush footage was shown uncut so you could see what was really said and manipulated in Michael Moore's film. I have to tell you I have never seen a film so manipulating and full of lies like Moore's film. I felt insulted and mislead. I then decided to check all the facts myself and after a deep and long finding of facts it was clear. Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11 was full of lies and manipulated facts wile "FahrenHYPE 9/11" was 100% true. Look I am a left wing tree hugger but the truth is the truth and Moore's film is a lie. If you want the truth I suggest you watch "FahrenHYPE 9/11", and then check for your self. You will see the same as me, Fahrenheit 9/11 is the furthest from the truth you will ever see and "FahrenHYPE 9/11" is the closest to the truth.
19 Hard to ignore
The facts presented in the movies are hard to ignore. Being a developed nation, USA gov headed by Bush is playing dirty politics with own people. Normally this kind of dirty politics are observed in third world nation. Is America moving backward?
Moore has rightly pointed out why America didn't attack Saudi Arabia when 15 members of Al-quida group belong to that country. WMD was farce and by attcking Iraq, america has created more enemies to counter. Are we really safe? We need to think of it seriously. Who is gaining out of this war? Not common people like us.
20 Farenheit 9-11 Burns
When Farenheit 9-11 first came out, I was not emotionally ready to see this film. I was afraid it would bring back the trauma I felt in 2001. I had visited the World Trade Center as a child and a teen. New York City was one of my favorite places to visit. I went there about twelve times before I turned 18. I finally decided that I would never really be ready, so I decided to watch it.
Moore devotes very little screen time to the day of 9-11, having only a minute of audio and another few minutes of stunned N.Y.C. passersby and a shot of the missing persons' wall. In a way I was both disappointed and relieved. I did want to see that day from Moore's perpective, but then again, why relive the images we all saw that day and for days after? I was not traumatized, but I was deeply disturbed - for political reasons.
Michael Moore's Farenheit 9-11 is unquestionably anti-Bush and biased. But Moore's evidence of conspiracy-like connections between the Texas Bush family and the Al Saud royal family of Saudi Arabia is brilliant. The volume and scope of Moore's research is staggering.
Saudi Arabia is one of the most controlled and restrictive countries in the world. The government follows a fundamentalist Wahhabi Islam that no other country adheres to. The U.S. State Department says in their Human Rights report that Saudi Arabia is guilty of torture, violence towards women and children, and throwing people into prison for circulating petitions.
So disturbing is the fact Bush allowed all of the Bin Ladens in the U.S. to flee the country two days after the disaster, without letting law enforcement question the family members.
The Saudi-Bush connection is not the only target of Moore. He targets the military for actively recruiting young, poor minorities in Moore's hometown of Flint, Michigan. Moore also interviews some troops who have deep reservations about the war and about their commander-in-chief.
In the beginning of the documentary, the botched Florida election results and the plea of African-Americans to the U.S. Senate brings shame on George W. Bush and the Senate. Moore portrays Bush as a yokel, but a sly one, with vast power and connections that seem to make him unstoppable.
I am incredulous that even after Farenheit 9-11 was such a big smash at the box office, that Bush was re-elected. After we viewed the film, my husband said, "Bush has no conscience." Isn't that a scary thing to say about your president? But after seeing this film, it is the logical conclusion.
21 This is a MOVIE review forum, right?
I am confused. I am very confused because all of the "good reviews" I've read of this movie have absolutely nothing to do with the movie's content. Giving a movie 5 stars because the man who directed it is expressing his right of free speech isn't reasonable. It's still a crappy movie. Please email all of your complaints on the banning of this movie or anything to do with free speech to a government official instead of raping this forum with it. This place is for MOVIE reviews, not people reviews.
Now, as for the movie, seeing people burnt to a crisp and their mothers crying in pain about it is not a form of entertainment for me. Moore is just using it for the emotional effect to prove some point that it really has nothing to do with. It does not say anything about whether or not we should have gone to war. War happens. It sucks, but it happens. Get over it.
Also, I personally cannot stand hearing Moore's voiceover throughout the whole movie. I think I may have developed a tumor in my eardrum bigger than Michael Moore's ass.
22 Michael Moore, dragon-slayer
I went to see Fahrenheit 911 last year in theaters, very wary about the fact that even its supporters did not regard it as objective. Yet I was willing to go see it if it showed footage from the war in Iraq that I could not find in the mainstream media. The movie does have genuine clips of Iraqi civilians who were bombed, and for this reason alone it should be seen. The palpable grief of Lila Lipscomb, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq, is also moving, as is the grief of all mothers who lose children, whether in necessary or unnecessary wars. But after that, the virtues of the movie diminish and start to be overshadowed by its problems. Sticking just to the question of war footage, Moore himself seemed to imply before the movie's release that he had footage of Iraqi prisoner abuse older than the Abu Ghraib photos, yet there is nothing so raw and clear as that in the movie. There is only a scene cut and presented in such a way as to imply sexual abuse, when actually the footage may be about something quite different.
Dave Kopel's online essay, "59 Deceits in Fahrenheit 911", describes how problematic Moore's style really is. "59 Deceits" has its own problems, but it provides links to other pieces defending Moore's movie, and to critiques of Kopel's own piece, including point-by-point rebuttals. Having compared Kopel with his critics, I would invite other fans or critics of the movie to decide who does a better job of transcending their own problems, for instance by inviting the opposite side to respond and not merely dismissing their views. I find it significant that Kopel does invite Moore to respond, and this should be no surprise, since Kopel is a lifelong Democrat who, like Moore, supported Ralph Nader in 2000.
It's impossible to see this film and not be moved by the suffering depicted in the U.S. and Iraq. It's also practically impossible, unless you hold Michael Moore's political views, not to feel infuriated that such suffering should be presented in a movie that was openly made for political purposes. In short, if you agree with those purposes, you won't feel manipulated, but if you disagree in any way with Moore's politics, you'll feel manipulated toward his views, rather than genuinely persuaded. Considering that the American public was largely manipulated into supporting the invasion of Iraq, a movie like this hardly leaves you hopeful.
But manipulative politics is not the chief problem with the film. I find some things in Moore's political worldview attractive, especially when Fahrenheit is shining a light on problems at home, and drawing attention to how those problems might be linked to war. The greater problem for me while watching the movie was not that I was listening to someone with radical politics, but instead a feeling that certain facts or realities - and yes, certain sufferings - were being systematically kept from me, as if I could not be trusted to make up my own mind. Michael Moore has written that Americans are essentially stupid: "Americans are possibly the dumbest people on the planet....in thrall to conniving, thieving, smug pricks. We Americans suffer from an enforced ignorance. We don't know about anything that's happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing." Not that Fahrenheit 911 cares to show us anything about what it's like to live in foreign countries such as Afghanistan or Iraq. The movie assiduously avoids trying to educate us about life beyond our borders, besides showing us sweet scenes of everyday life that go down easily. No doubt Moore feels that Saddam Hussein's police state was already highlighted enough by the mainstream media, and that his job as a film-maker was to point out the dark side of American involvement. But in this way, his movie unwittingly argues that the mainstream media is doing a good job, or at least a passable job, of educating Americans about Iraq. It clearly is not. The Bush administration may have rightly called attention to certain living situations far beyond our imagination in our democracy, but neither Moore nor I would assert that the White House has fairly educated us about what Iraqi society was like before American intervention. If that's a problem, and Moore says our ignorance is a problem, you'd expect Moore to try to address it. No attempt is made. Perhaps he doesn't trust us to make up our own minds. Maybe he thinks Americans have been kept fully in the dark about their negative impact on other countries and cannot be trusted to hear anything else right now, even if hearing other things would help make an emotional connection between Americans and Iraqis. Perhaps he doesn't feel the oppression in Iraq was really something worth looking at right now. Any of these attitudes is a serious problem, and would be in any individual. All the more is that true for someone who calls his films documentaries, and who does call in his films for compassion.
And there are many inconsistencies here. Fahrenheit is very respectful towards the horror of the 9-11 attacks, but it uses the attack on the Pentagon as a sight gag, despite the fact that a third of the people who died were civilians on an airplane. He has said this about the Lila Lipscombs of our country: "I'm sorry, but the majority of Americans supported this war once it began and, sadly, that majority must now sacrifice their children until enough blood has been let that maybe -- just maybe -- God and the Iraqi people will forgive us in the end." Finally, Moore has publicly excoriated U.S. support of Israel, yet he says nothing about Israel in Fahrenheit, presumably because he did not want to lose the large Jewish vote on the left when it came time to unseat Bush. No doubt, too, since he wants to paint U.S. foreign policy as being in Saudi Arabia's pocket, he doesn't want to analyze how that nation, besides rarely agreeing with Israel on anything, actually opposed the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nevertheless, it's a strange issue to omit, because U.S. support for Israel is widely reviled in the Middle East; it's something that Americans do need to look at; and talking about it would be a great way to indict Bush. Moore attacks Bush, his personality and his politics, in every possible way, but says nothing about Israel, a country right at the heart of Middle East violence.
As noted, both fans and critics agree that the movie is not objective. Fans of Fahrenheit 911, and even some critics, often say that it wasn't meant to be "that kind of movie." The fans say that it was meant to show the side of things which runs against the mainstream, and if it doesn't attempt anything else, so what? But then why call it a documentary? If a movie known as a documentary raises questions about whether, for instance, the film-maker is playing fast and loose with the documents or the material he is trying to document, then the movie is "that kind of movie." Any movie purporting to be factual is going to call up such questions as whether facts were documented and presented in context, and whether there was misleading or deceit going on. So why is the movie's lack of objectivity said to be a non-issue? That attitude is a serious problem. What it really says is that the question of deception is not so important as the question of who will sit in the White House, or in this case, the objective of unseating Bush. The lesson being taught here, whether fans of the movie are aware of it or not, is that truth is not so important as political victory. I am fully convinced that this is the attitude that got us into war in the first place, and is no way to avoid future wars.
Michael Moore is a dragon-slayer, not in the traditional sense of someone who might actually be doing something good, but in the contemporary sense of someone who is willing to deceive (by careful selection and omission) in order to get his man.
23 Michael Moore Is Brilliant
[...]Moore uses his right as an American person to say whatever he wants. It is there, in the constitution; the right to free speech. And the important thing is that he doesn't just randomly blurt out stuff. He has facts and information to back up his opinions. And to the people who says he's lying, may I ask, what is he lying about? Bush has lied zillions of times to the country ('There will be no casualties in Iraq'), and that has been proven. If you're going to accuse Moore of lying, you'll need evidence of this, not just accusations. And, of COURSE he's biased! Why is that a problem? Why do people constantly accuse him of having a biased opinion? These people have a biased opinion while watching his film. These people have already decided that they like Bush, no matter what. Bush could stand up and admit he has no idea hat his job is, where the countries are, or why we're in a war, and these people will still vote for him. Just like those who support circumcision despite all the evidence to the contrary. They will never change their opinions, even when the truth is staring them in the face. My point is, those who like Bush will naturally hate this film because they're too ignorant to open up their minds and listen to Moore's message.
Basically, this was a true masterpiece, and all the controversy proves it. In many, many years, this movie will still be remembered. And, eventually, people will understand how Michael Moore worked to create a better America. I say he should run for president in 2008. This is one of the greatest movies of 2004.
24 facts checked
How, with all of this clear evidence against him, was George W. Bush re-elected? A well-done indictment of the behind-the-scenes workings and connections of the Bush family and bin Ladens and how Bush's decisions warrant more in-depth examination. However one feels about Michael Moore's in-your-face, unrelenting style, or his facts/research (he was armed to the teeth with researchers and backed up facts this time), the key point of Moore's work (here and in his other films and books) is that he presents his take on issues but does not ask or want viewers/readers to take him at face value. His work is about challenging people NOT TO ACCEPT what they are fed or told-- but to question, dig and find out their own answers. Isn't that, after all, what it means to be American?
25 The truth (or at least part of it ) finally revealed
First off, THIS IS NOT A BIAST REVIEW!
This movie, or more like a story, as many pros, only to be balanced out with many cons.
PROS: >A glimpse of war in soldiers' and parents' perspectives
>A revelation of some of the truth
>Many tear-wrenching moments
CONS: >Packed to the brim with exaggeration
Overall, a fine film....
P.S. Notice how I don't use the word documentary.
26 Incredulous
Moore says there is no terrorist threat? Moore says Saddam made no threats against the US, but meanwhile Usay's newspapers flagrantly pronounced "Death to America". It's OK for Usay to pronounce virulant hatred, but Saddam is not a threat? This piece of garbage is one of the greatest propaganda films since Leni Reifenstahl. Moore also illustrates how the Bin Laden family were the first to fly out of America and had "special connections". The Bin Ladens were considered not a threat by the FBI and were not allowed to fly out until 2 days after, when the airlines first returned to flying. If you were a Bin Laden family member, would you too have not been on the first plane out of the US? I don't understand how Moore's film is heralded by the left who have become absolutely oblivious to our countries values.
Moore further documents that Bush sat around and didn't do anything for 7 minutes. Well, he is the Commander in Chief and there are safeguards allowed where he doesn't have to overreact in front of second graders and run. President Bush is the first president to have an MBA and he sat for several minutes calculating, knowing full well that his though processes were being documented for all to judge, and if he jumped up and reacted, that too would have been criticized. If his staff thought that it was expedient for him to jump up and react; they would have certainly done so, instead he set an example as a leader and handled the situation in a business like manner, which was his job, a business-man in a political position, running the largest $ business in the world.
Without any shame, Michael Moore capitalizes on soldier's who nobley gave their lives for the sake of freedom across the world, and Moore shamelessly exploits and desecrates their sacred funeral rites and injuries, in order to line his pockets. Benedict Arnold died a death known to traitors, our democracy allows Moore to perpetuate his cowardly behavior, and he shows his appreciation by exploiting our soldier's (this country's greatest asset) funerals and manipualing people's emotions by telling outrageous lies. Hitler practiced the same tactics, yet Moore is heralded by the left. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE FECES YOU TREE HUGGING WACKOS. The left is absolutely incapable of giving credit where credit is due. So rather than play fair, they cheat and lie and do everything in their power to get their way. BIG BABIES!
27 I can't help but wonder...
Of all of the people who have given this bundle of ham-fisted propoganda favorable reviews I ask: don't the events of the last six months make you feel a little silly? With events in the Middle East proving the validity of the Bush Doctrine faster than even the most optomistic of us could have hoped, this film looks about as relevant (and accurate) as "Reefer Madness".
28 Typical Moore - some provocative stuff surrounded by bias
Any American who doesn't live in a cave could tell you that. With Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore presents his admittedly biased case against Bush and the war being waged in Iraq. Unfortunately, when you're watching a Michael Moore film, you never know what to think because the only information you are privy to is presented to support his own views.
Fahrenheit 9/11 is split up into basically two parts: the first is an indictment of President George W. Bush, the way he has run the country, and his motives for starting a war in Iraq; the second focuses on the people fighting the war, and is easily the better piece of the film.
Moore makes the case that the presidential election of 2000 was a sham because votes from racial minorities were not counted appropriately, and that had they been, Al Gore would have won the election. Regardless, we all know that Bush did win, and in August of 2001, he decided to take a rather long vacation, with which some in the country took issue. Bush didn't seem to be terribly serious about his job--until September 11, and we all know what happened then.
What was our president doing when he heard the news that two planes hit the World Trade Center in New York? Reading to children in Florida. What did he do for seven full minutes after hearing this news? Absolutely nothing. Why? Well, this film provides us with some background, linking the Bin Laden family with the Bush family through the oil industry, in which both families are major players. So, members of the Bin Laden clan were rounded up and flown out of the country immediately after the terrorist attacks on the WTC. Why?
Fahrenheit 9/11 also accuses Bush of manufacturing the war in Iraq, claiming that he invented ties between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda and weapons of mass destruction in order to rally the American people behind the war effort, which was only for his own personal financial gain. Is this true? Who knows?
So where does this film succeed? It succeeds in telling the story of Lila Lipscomb, a Flint, Michigan native who, when we first meet her, is a fervent military supporter, citing that the military helps young people who otherwise wouldn't have a chance to get education and travel the world. However, after her son is killed in combat in Iraq, Ms. Lipscomb becomes disillusioned, questioning why her son had to die, and what good it did for anybody.
Moreso than in his other films, Michael Moore managed to stay off camera for a good part of Fahrenheit 9/11, though his voice is heard throughout in narration. When he is on the screen, he is usually grandstanding, like when he asks for Congressmen to enlist their own children in the military. A true documentarian observes and lets the audience make a judgment for themselves, but that is not Moore's M.O. He wants to present an impartial story, and he does, and I wish I could believe every word of it, but with Moore, you never really know.
29 BE AFRAID... BE VERY AFRAID!
Michael Moore did a great job, showing how
stupid, and two faced, the person running
our country is! THE TRUTH HURTS!
30 Finally. . .
I have felt really alone in my opinions for a long, long time. Especially after Bush was re-elected. I felt like the only one in the entire country that sees the truth about him. This video gave me a lot of hope, that maybe people will see it and change their minds. This video is extremely one-sided, I will admit. If you hate Bush, you'll love it. If you voted for Bush, you may feel stupid, but you will probably just be mad. Michael Moore's opinions are very, very strong and if you do not agree with them, his documentaries tend to fall flat. Also, I do not believe that all of his "facts" in the video are necessarily true. Some of them are a little far-fetched, and even while I do not support the Bush administration, some of what was said in the video just doesn't seem reasonable. But other than that, the footage of the war was real and I was saddened to see what's going on over there (for both sides. The footage of the Iraqi children, the dead baby, and the other dead civilians was enough to make me look away from the tv for a few seconds). And knowing that this war has no real purpose makes me sadder than anything else. Anytime people die in a war with no cause leaves me with a churning anger in my stomach. I was not alive during the Vietnam war, but I can still feel the anger that has lingered in the country over such an unnecessary bloodshed.
I don't really like Michael Moore, but this documentary was exactly what I needed. I watched it after learning that one of my good friends is going to war sometime this year. It was suggested to me I watch this. I have been against the Iraq war for awhile now. It wasn't always that way. I was at one time a huge Bush supporter/war supporter and one of those crazy Republicans you dread getting into an argument with. Of course I feel like a moron for that now, and I have since become a Democrat. But at the time (just after 9/11), I felt terrified and unsafe in this country and, like everyone else in America, I turned to the guy who said he had all the answers, the guy who said he would protect us from another terrorist attack and secure our future by avenging the 9/11 deaths (something that I DO feel was necessary, by the way. I am not against all war, but striking Iraq after Afghanistan was pointless and had *nothing* to do with it). Now I feel cheated and lied to, and also very powerless. I feel like those of us in America that are against the war no longer have a say. We are pushed to the side and called anti-american. Michael Moore finally gave us the voice that was taken from us when Bush was re-elected. I do not know what the next four years will bring, but I know that if things continue as they are, America will never recover. And that is sadder than anything.
31 BUCK FUSH!!!
First off anyone who thinks this is filled with lies is just a gullible nieve short sighted american clone in denial that anything could be wrong with their "Perfect" little country and all it's freedom preserving evil doer eliminating govt. The facts in this film have been analyzed and researched by EVERY single person in this country. Do you REALLY think you wouldn't hear about it on the news if there was even one lie in here??? This film is all about telling the truth that NEEDS to be known. There is no slander here and if you think it is just trying to frame Bush than you are just like those who supported Nixon and Hitler, you are the type of person that lets these evil fools get power. Did you know that Bush and Cheney own stock in Halibuton and they make$$$$$$ when U.S. troops are at war and being killed. It's no wonder so many countries hate America. Dick Cheney is an evil money hungry heartless agent smith business dictated hypocritical racist. He voted to KEEP Mandela in JAIL!!! Think about it you stupid narrow minded republicans!!! Peace 2 tha Mid East. ONE LOVE.
32 An eye opener
Fahrenheit 9/11 is movie that I have been wanting to see and I am glad that I did. Many people believe that Michael Moore is slanted, but much of is facts out for people to be able to discover for themselves. Myself, I never realized that recruiters will target people in poorer areas to join up. I think that Fahrenheit 9/11 is a movie that makes the viewers think not about the war but our whole system and if it is really fair and equal for every one.
33 Phenomenal and Important but needs different talent!
This is possibly the most important documentary made to date on the American political system. Unfortunately, the impact and urgency of the film are diminished by Moore's persistently un-serious attitude. Humor, and especially irony, are totally inappropriate when we are examining policies, and a presidency, that have led to such horrors as the now 1500 American fatalities in Iraq, not to mention spectacular civilian casualities in several countries. Years ago Moore's methods and approach, his jokey and un-self-critical manner--were well-suited to pointing out the idiocies of the corporate world. It was barely tolerable when he poked fun at and made sport of gun owners with a backdrop of the horrendous murders of students at Columbine.
These are issues that need to be presented to the American public in as serious and dignified a manner as possible. Moore's disheveled give-a-darn appearance, his blue-collar barroom banter manner, his carefully cultivated average-Joe affect, are all more appropriate to a Comedy Central program than to any serious discussion of war, life and death issues, and the future of our democracy. It's like having a circus clown host a program on the death penalty.
All of us who are deeply concerned about war, the economy, injustice, racism, sexism, and the erosion of our constitutional rights should be asking ourselves one important question right now--how have we reached this dismal point where the primary representative and spokesperson of our concerns to the entire world is an unkempt overweight buffoon? Small wonder this country--all of it and not just GWB's half--gets little serious respect from the world these days.
Disagree? Well just start at the beginning and take a hard look at the cover of this DVD--the jokey title (Ironically, the politically correct Left has been responsible for more "book burnings" than anyone in the last 15 years--have any of you actually seen Fahrenheit 451?) and Michael Moore in "trademark" ballcap peeking over a manila envelope, looking like he's dug up some naughty little secrets. Would you believe this is a documentary about, just for starters, an event where over 3000 innocent people died horribly, and an entire city was traumatized? Imagine a similar cover for a documentary about rape, lynchings, or torture. Really. Stop. Think. Visualize. Several friends almost died in that nightmare and this is what they get--Michael Moore trying to be cute? Please everyone, wake up! We have a lot of difficult and serious work to do.
One last thing. Like most of the Liberal and Conservative characters that are cluttering up the American political landscape, Moore preaches to the choir and aggressively alienates the opposition. This is not an attempt to persuade anyone of anything other than how right his followers are about the issues. This country needs consensus-building, not the sort of hate-mongering, stereotyping, and demonization I once expected only from the extremes of the Right. I know of no one who was coverted by this film but I know plenty of decent, intelligent moderates in the South and Midwest who are pushed away from Liberal positions by "liberals" like Moore--sometimes I wonder who he's really working for. Again, do you want change or do you just want to feel smug and righteous.
Those who vote against this review should be ashamed of themselves. This is no joke and these points are valid. The only reason conceivable is that you're miffed that someone--and keep in mind someone from your political side of things--has dared to criticize your media darling. I hate to admit it but P.J. O'Rourke was right, American Liberals--unable to truly free themselves of consumerism--think they can change the world with bumper stickers...and now DVDs. And this too: the world's gone crazy, a lot of people are dead, a lot of people are out of work, we're upset, and Michael Moore is living better than he ever did. Think long and hard on that.
34 Docutainment
Michael Moore is an unapologetically terrible person. I am disgusted by his shameless exploitation of greif to sell a political message. He is also unapologetically in love with himself, as evidenced by pulling this film from the Best Documentary category in hopes of winning a Best Picture Oscar.
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a muddle, and the viewer is never entirely sure whether the film is accurate. It also meanders from point to point haphazardly.
So why the four stars? Because this is a fantastically entertaining movie. I don't care how accurate Moore's research is, I don't care how self-indulgent the man is, and I don't care how overhyped this movie is. It is still worth a watch, and is worth more than a little attention. While Moore's politics are certainly exaggurated, his point is a valid one, and should be a caution to any concerned citizen.
35 Using people's grief to make a movie
I'm against the Iraq war as Michael Moore obviously is. However, I object to his using people's grief for its shock value. Doesn't he have any shame? I couldn't believe the way he exploited the poor woman who had lost her son. By the way, this doesn't even deserve one star.
36 Very, very good
Michael Moore is taking on the most powerfull regime in the world- America's government. Or to be more precise-Bush. This film is awared in Europe for the best documentary, but i bet Bushes made it sure that this year it doesn't get the Oscar!
Please watch it, it is funny and accurate....
37 it dosent even desreve the one star
most people say i didint like the movie because i was bush suppoter but rather i am bush or kerry supporter i didnt like this movie cause it was onesided yes moore is against bush but his job is a director so he just makes movies to sell them not to tell the truth he kept saying though the whole movie how bush was lying well i want to know how i dont know if moore was lying he knew this movie would sell cause so many were mad and i also believed that this movie shouldnt have been shown during election season cause what if people based there poltics on this and moore was lying i am not saying that moore is not allowed to have opinion that whats great about this country is the freedom of speach i am just saying when it comes to documentry that could influcene the way people think it should two sided not one sided that why i watched this movie i didnt want to go around and say i hate this movie but had never seen it so now i can say from both sides of me i hated this movie not only cause is it was one sided cause the way he talked to us like if we were children which is shock cause you had to be 18 to see it so most of us were adults
38 if I could give it a negative, I would
One of the WORST and at the same time BEST examples of propaganda ever produced. Moore could teach Goebbels a few things about manipulating minds! Moore skillfully weaves half-truth with innuendo and convinces the weak minded and ignorant that the truth is a lie and that false conclusions are the truth.
39 Reefer Madness
Remember the 1930s movie, "Reefer Madness," which was made as a serious film to discourage marijuana use? That movie was so bad and so silly that it has actually become a classic. Before the election of 2004, I refused to see Fahrenheit 9/11. Since Fahrenheit 9/11 failed in it's objective to affect the election, it has sort of become a modern day "Reefer Madness." It is so ridiculous that it actually gets 3 stars for it's post election campiness value. The movie opens with a scene of little children happily and serenely playing and people happily going about their business in Sadaam Hussein's Iraq. This scene is abruptly broken up by scenes of war perpetrated by the "bad guys" .. the United States. Could you ever imagine pre Pearl Harbor opponents of World War II portraying Hitler's Germany as an idyllic place? But, then again, since the movie failed in it's objective, it is actually hlarious in that "Reefer Madness" sort of way.
This dvd purports to be a documentary, Moore interviews members of the military and their families. The editing makes it appear that they are victims of Bush's policy and that they are against the war. This is deception and some of these same people are reinterviewed in Dick Morris' "Farenhype 9/11." These reinterviewed people are furious that they were deceived by Moore. They say that the interviews were edited to give an entirely different intention than what was meant. They feel decieved, used, and hurt. The teacher of the school where the President was speaking during the events of 9/11 is interviewed in "Farenhype." Although a Democrat, she is grateful for the way that the President conducted himself in the school that day. Moore seems to think that he should have caused some sort of panic among the children.
Moore takes footage of the 2000 Al Smith Dinner, held each year in New York, in which Bush self deprecatingly refers to the wealthy attendees as "his base" and makes it seem Bush is an admittedly big business president. In fact, Gore was also at this dinner and the purpose of an appearence there is to make a humorous speech. Almost all political figures make themselves the butts of their own jokes at this dinner. However, these distortions don't make me angry because Bush won. So, now we have a new addition to kitschy movies that are so bad they are actually entertaining.
40 Liar, liar, liar!
Nice try Michael Moore! "There's no terrorist threat! We've been attacked, but that doesn't mean that there's a terrorist threat." As if any intellegent human beings actutally believe that! Skip both Bowling for Columbine and this movie as they're both packed with Michael's lies. Watch something fun and exciting like the Blue Collar Comedy Tour DVD's. They're a heck of a lot more interesting the Moore's lies about the Republican party are.
41 Roger S. was wrong
My friend Roger is my biggest democrat friend Roger insists that GW is Satan reincarnated and I am sure that's what he puts into his comments of his code (he even voted for Mondale)... maybe that's why he said I would like the movie...but I didn't.
42 Just a tip of the iceburg.
Though this movie is a bit more than the typical bs you watch on tv, it doesn't really tell us all of the truth either.
Moore just ripped off parts of what Alex Jones does. Alex Jones is the original reporter who uncovers the whole new world order and all the conspiracies related to it. For example you don't see Moore talking about how the pentagon was hit by something other than a plane and how the WTC and Oaklahoma buildings had more to their demolitions than the public is aware of. Those are the things that really matter.
When Moore was asked by Alex Jones himself why he does not talk about any of the new worlder order issues, Moore said "it's unAmerican". So It's unAmerican to talk about the truth? I guess it's only "patriotic" if you remain ignorant about reality and do not question anything.
Unlike Moore, Alex Jones is not in it for the money. He clearly states you can copy his films all you want.
43 Many inaccurate statements. Lacks valid references/sources.
Honesty in writting is important. There were several statements or assertions in this book that are know false to me. As a novel or work of fiction, this book would be acceptable but I think the author means to put forth these stories as fact or at least possibilities. He doesn't seem to present valid references or sources for his claims and in many cases his writing borders on fabrication. All in all, I gave him a low grad, for he seems rather partisan and unballanced in his presentation of information.
44 A Very Entertaining Piece of Fiction
The Academy Awards has snubbed two the year's most influential movies - "Fahrenheit 911" and "The Passion of the Christ," which is unfortunate. One movie is based on a factual occurrence, while the other is a thought-provoking piece of fiction, violent, in-your-face, inconsistent and fraught with historical inaccuracies and inflammatory scenes- yet I still think Michael Moore's picture deserves an honor for ingenious creativity.
45 OK for What It Is
This film asks quite a few questions. But it doesn't recommend many possible answers or solutions to questionable areas it is trying to point out. However, I think the power of this film is that it does ask hard questions. I would like to see a more objective comeback to what Mr. Moore has to say in this film if it were at all possible by another film-maker. That would be something. Point:Counterpoint.
46 Moore= Funny Clown. Bush=Triggerhappy Clown in Oval Office
I don`t find this as good as his earlier efforts Roger & Me and Bowling for Colombine. However, he is obviously needed in a country where FOX dominates the media.
His methods are a bit crude, but nowhere near as crude as the methods of the Bush administration. From where I`m sitting (Northern Europe), it is immensely frightening that the babbling monkey who got crushed by Kerry in all debates got a clear majority of the votes.
Why, America? Anti-intellectualism? Fear of the big bad terrorists(the people here comparing Moore to Goebbels should consider how this statistically completely irrational fear is exploited methodically by Bush in every speech he makes)? Sheer stupidity?
Why is it that the US spends enormous sums trying to salvage an arbitrary middle-eastern dictatorship (f.ex Saudi-Arabia, home of the hijackers, are just as bad) while millions are dying of war and starvation in Africa without as much as a squeak from Dubya? Use your brains, people. Blind patriotism is no patriotism at all.
47 Horray!
This movie is great. I haven't seen it and don't plan too but i love everything that michel mooore does and i don't car what anyone else says! wooo wooo!!
48 no, not even 1 star
A long boring drawn out political veiw of someone too fat to experience the lighter side of life. A total BORE. No politicaly cohesive and correct unbiased views. All rhetoric, no balance. Mike would SUCK in a debate class!
49 I hate you Michael Moore
Bush rocks and you stink.I never saw this movie and I`ll never plan to because I hate Michael Moore and someday they should have a docrementry about him being a moron because he is one.
50 Just Pandering to Anti-Bush Crowd
This crockumentary just panders to the anti-bush crowd. I have to hand it to Michael Moore, he knows how to make a buck off of stupid people.
There are so many dead-ends and lies in this movie.
Read 59 Deceits of Fahrenhiet 9/11 and actually learn something instead of letting your brain atrophy to Moore's piece of garbage.
51 The truth prevails...
This documentary rocks... Finally, the truth about Bush and his weaseling is coming out for more to see.
52 Please understand...
...this is FICTION. Or at very least, it is a distortion of fact. Mr. Moore artfully splices together scenes and sound bites that do not belong together. He cleverly manipulates the viewer into feeling precisely what he wants them to feel; for that he deserves a star. I withhold the other stars based on the fact that Mr. Moore misleads his audience into believing that his presentation is factual.
53 I love this film, Rented it at BlatinoVideo.com
I rented this film though BlatinoVideo.com (a Black latino specialty DVD rental) but bought it through amazon and loved it... I actually recommend it to all americans conservative or progressive...
54 Michael Moore wonders...
Did you notice how many times Michael Moore says, "I wonder..." during his narration of Fahrenheit 9/11? This should tip you off that the film is mostly a montage of speculation and political rants with very little of what I would call journalistic substance behind it.
I was disappointed by the film simply because it didn't do a good enough job. Taking cheap shots at Dubya may make those who hate him cheer, but it is not particularly compelling for those of us who might actually be trying to remain objective.
This is basically the same stuff you'll find on Fox News or Rush Limbaugh, just spun in the other direction. Is that helpful?
Post-election, this film loses much of its immediacy. I agree that Dubya should be out of office, but I seriously doubt Moore's film will change many minds either way. If you already loathe Dubya, you'll love this film. If you support him, you'll end up hating Moore more!
All the bomb throwing and conspiracy theory spinning reduce the power of his case, reducing it to a joke skit you might see on "The Daily Show" or "Saturday Night Live." On that level it is fun, but again it lacks ultimate substance, and Jon Stewart does it better!
It cannot be denied that there is plenty of fact-twisting and spinning here. I also found that there were NO "revelations" for me. I already knew all of these rumors and theories just by being a well-read citizen.
I can only imagine that an uninformed viewer might come away thinking that the Bushes are the most corrupt politicians ever. Folks, the whole political system is corrupt...both parties. Politics breeds strange bedfellows and there is a whole lot of adultery going on. It's what Alexander Hamilton claimed made the system work.
Yes, millions of Americans are angry with George W. Bush, and rightly so. Michael Moore is livid, but I just wish he would have stayed his fomenting rage just long enough to create a work of serious journalism and not succomb to pedestrian muck-raking. ***
55 Gutpunch to the GOP
"The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media."
- William Colby
former Director of the CIA
I have to laugh at the Gobbels=Moore comments I've read. Gobbels worked for the state, as does major media in the US. It should be the duty of the press to be critical of the government.
To keep them somewhat honest, so they can't you know, make false claims and go to war on false pretence.
Fahrenheit 9/11 sadly is only 2 hrs, that's barely enough time to make a true case against these criminals who are running the planet.
There is one question I wish Moore/Gobbels had asked abut 9/11. How is it a terrorist passport survived the WTC wreak, but the black boxes did not? How did the press miss that one?
Strange...still 5 stars, closest thing to the truth you're going to hear in the mainstream
56 Sad
Sad as in it makes me sad that there are millions of teenagers who watch this film and believe every word of it. This is propaganda worthy of making Kim Jung-il and Joseph Goebbels proud. It is a mass of conspiracy theory that either contradicts itself or has extremely flimsy evidence. The only reason it appears sound is because of his cut and paste techniques, his omission of crucial points, and a quick pace that doesn't leave the viewer any time to realize the fallacies.
While there are SEVERAL problems with this film (I do suggest you look it up on google, there are plenty of articles that debunk it), I will cite a very quick and broad example. Moore makes several claims that apparently, the Saudis more or less control the Bush administration, either by their "ties" to Bush (with extremely unconvincing evidence) or by their foreign investments (with a very exaggerated figure). Now the problem with this is that he fails to address how the Saudis were adamantly against the invasion of Afghanistan. So much so, that they wouldn't even allow Tony Blair to land on their soil during the operation! If they apparently control the Bush administration, why would the US replace the Taliban regime when the Saudis were so against it?
This is just one example of the tricks Moore likes to pull on the public. I do not know why Moore would stoop this low, or if he truly believes what he is displaying. Maybe in his own fantasy world, all of this stuff is true. I don't know. What Moore says in response is that this movie is his opinion, and not intended to be a non-biased documentary. Well I say that if this represents Moore's opinion, then he needs a big reality check.
Now I know what you're thinking. It's probably along the lines of "This reviewer is just some conservative who's mad because something bad is said about Bush!" I understand your sentiments. A year ago, I probably would have said the same thing. But I educated myself and realized the rediculous nature of this movie. Even Jean-Luc Godard, the French filmmaker who is anti-Bush and a socialist, made this remark: "Post-war filmmakers gave us the documentary, Rob Reiner gave us the mockumentary and Moore initiated a third genre, the crockumentary."
If you are going to see this film, I urge you to realize the contradictions and poor arguments. If you have already seen it, look up an article that debunks it. You will be shocked at how when the smoke clears, there is little evidence Moore provides. Whether you are liberal, conservative, for or against the Iraq war, you can agree that this film has no credibility.
57 I doubt he even believes himself...
If you have seen Bowling for Columbine... don't expect this documentary to be any better. Moore once again slams totally unprovable theories down our throats and expects us to just believe everything he says without question because he's famous. I find taking advantage of our country's tragedies as a way to earn yourself a name and an extra buck totally disgusting. Anybody with an ounce of acting skills can tell Moore is acting the sadness out in both his films. You act in movies, not documentaries that involve the death of many individuals.
The entire movie appears to be an attempt to force Bush out of the White House and influence the past election. Almost everthing stated in the movie is just personal opinion, or complete bull. I find it hard to believe Moore believes himself on this one. I thought this was going to be a well informative and well researched film (I hadn't seen BFC prior to this), but it turned out to be nothing more than a total collaboration of purposely forged evidence and rantings of a socialist man crazed for the spotlight. While Bill Clinton was president, I may not have liked him, but I gave him the respect of our president. Moore shows no respect for the lives of our countrymen, for President Bush, for our soldiers, or our country itself in this film.
Save yourself the aggravation and money on this movie, unless you're a stark-raving liberal... then you'll probably love every minute of it.
58 Disappointed...
As a slightly conservative leaning person I expected to come away from this film feeling that it was somewhat slanted but to have an almost begrudging respect for the skill & wit with which the movie was rendered.
Unfortunately that wasn't the case at all. I think in this case Michael Moore's rage at President Bush has dulled his filmmaking skills. It's not that it's a bad movie (I'd give it 2 and a half stars if I could), I just didn't find it terribly interesting or humorous. I actually almost fell asleep at one point, which I wasn't expecting at all! I have no trouble with Michael Moore expressing his highly-charged Bush-Bashing views (in fact, I was kind of looking forward to hearing them), but it was all just so one-dimensional. The only thing I came away with was that Michael Moore thinks that George W Bush is very, very, very, bad - and so he proceeds to spend 2 hours making fun of him, often in fairly juvenile fashion. Yes, President Bush sure did look stupid while he was preparing to go on camera...is this what passes for satire these days?
For a much more thought-provoking documentary I'd recommend "The Fog of War".
59 MM
I watched this movie a week ago. I have nothing against listening to the other side, but why would I listen to Michael Moore when he lies, takes things out of context and virtually ignores the opinion of the other side. Do people who really believe in what they're doing use cheap-onesided debating tactics such as this?
I really wish that I put money into hearing another liberal speak who had enough passion about the subject to film fairly, listen to both sides ( without editing - I guess I must add now) and a come to a rational conclusion.
My post isn't meant to be anti-liberal, it's anti-MM. During Roger & Me he interviewed people before the GM layoffs and fixed it so it looked like their lifestyle was a result of the GM layoffs. Is this a man whos main concern is showing how the GM layoffs hurt people, or is this a man who's just trying to make a film that will stir emotions?
In F9/11 he asked a Senator a question about sending his son to war and he only filmed the question.... not the answer ( which, by the way, was "I don't have a son but my nephew is in Iraq"). Let me write that again, in a "documentary" he filmed himself asking a question, and DIDN'T FILM THE MANS ANSWER!!!!!!!! Is this a man who is really interested in finding out whether gov't officials are above having their children in the armed forces, or is this a man who's just trying to stir emotion?
I have heard many fair and rational arguments from liberals, not one has come out of MM's mouth.
60 Michael Moore's Controversial Documentary
I was a little apprehensive about viewing this film, but after watching it, I must say that my eyes have been opened a little wider than before. As a staunch Bush supporter, I was afraid that Moore was going to slam him and his policies unmercifully, but instead, he provides stimulating "food for thought". For example, I found his analysis of Andrew Card's informing Bush of the attack on the World Trade Center very disturbing. I didn't know that Bush sat in the classroom for almost ten minutes before doing anything. That is simply unacceptable, even to a die-hard Republican such as myself.
I found Moore's analysis of the Iraq war to be very interesting. The interviews with the soldiers and family members were especially emotional, especially in the case of Lila Lipscomb, who tearfully reads a letter she received from her son just days before he was killed in a Blackhawk helicpoter crash. Other scenes, such as the soldier describing the type of music that they liked to listen to when going on attack ("Let the mother#@%^& burn!") was very disturbing to me. Finally, being a parent myself, the scenes of the dead Iraqi children were especially difficult to watch.
There are many items pointed out in the film that I had no idea about, especially the Bush family link to Saudi oil, and how members of the Bin Laden family were allowed to leave the United States after the terrorist attacks, even though all flights in the United States had been banned.
Moore also looks at the disputed 2000 presidential election and claims that George W. Bush was elected by his father's
"friends on the Supreme Court". The errors of the networks in projecting a winner in Florida on election night is also looked at.
I have been and always will be a Bush supporter, but I must admit that this film has opened my eyes more about him and revealed things that I didn't know before. I thought that this was a very thought-provoking film and it did a very good job at explaining Bush's past and some of the events in his presidency that may have been handled incorrectly. Moore also manages to add a little humor, such as when Bush and his cabinet members are being made up for television, or when John Ashcroft tries his hand at a singing career. I highly recommend this film. If you are liberal or conservative, this film will open your eyes and give you a new perspective on the president of the United States.
61 Goebbels would've been proud ...
It's really quite sad (and more than a little disturbing) that this master manipulator has hoodwinked so many people with his rabidly Left-wing propaganda tracts disguised as "documentaries." It's a well-known fact that Moore uses clever editing and distortion of facts to support his nutball (and, frankly, treasonous) conspiracy theories [...] yet inexplicably, there's still a legion of ill-informed people out there who prefer to bury their heads in the sand when presented with even a shred of evidence that's critical of Moore. Do yourselves a favour, people. After Fahrenheit 9/11 whips you into a Bush-hating frenzy, read the book "Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Man." It pulls back the curtain on Moore and exposes him for what he is: a sad little man (figuratively, of course, not literally) who uses smoke and mirrors to try to incite fear and hatred of Bush, anti-terrorism, Small Government, and anything else that's not Left of Karl Marx.
62 Too Bad I Can't Leave -0-
What a bunch of HYPE. In my humble opinion, Michael Moore would have been the supreme propaganda agent for the Nazi movement and for Hitler himself. This guy should have been a figure skater because he spins better than "Slick Willie" Clinton.
If you are the type that vote straight democratic ticket because you father (or grandfather) did purely due to recovering from the Great Deppresion, you will enjoy it.
If you are open minded and would rather research the facts on your own, you will undoubtedly either refuse to watch/hear these lies or view it to see how the liberal mind works.They all seem Paranoid and they think that our government should practice socialism and tell us how to think?
63 Thank God [...] for Michael Moore!
Any negative reviews are simply from people that have never even seen the movie. Calling the movie "lies lies lies" etc. when there is no script, and regardless of editing, bush really said all the moronic things he said all on his own. The bush supporters need to bite the bullet and at least rent it. It's not about money, it's never been about money. In fact, Mr. Moore donates the majority of his profits.
The scene of the infamous 7 minutes will instill anger in anyone who watches. I'm surprised I did not vomit in disgust. However, the most moving scene was no scene at all. A blank black screen in a dark theater was definately the most memorable movie experience of my life. If you missed it in the theater, I highly suggest watching this DVD in complete darkness.
Those that call Michael Moore unamerican, fat, and other juvenile names, need to view his other work. Watch his show "The Awful Truth" (which is on dvd in a 2 season boxed set). Seeing that effort in full will put your foot in their mouth, and deep. Mr. Moore has helped so many, changed the rules of corporate slime, and made many lives better. This Oscar winning film maker is much more than "Roger & Me", or "Bowling for Columbine".
Fahrenheit 9/11 has won and deserved so many awards including the Golden Globe and People's Choice Award for best film. I love all these other "films" trying to make a buck off of Moore's success by going straight to unwatchable video. That is the greatest compliment and proof that Moore's film is a mark in history.
Bush supporters need to jump out of your republican programmed head and think for yourself for once!
64 Good
This is a good movie documenting the corruption of our president. I'd like to recommend a movie that is more important, though. It is 911 in Plane Site. [...] The movie shows suppressed video evidence from 9/11 that proves the government's
"official story" is ludicrous. EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE THIS!!!
Please, check it out. Show as many people as possible.
65 A soon-to-be-historical film with disturbing weight.
In a world where liberals are labeled "socialist" and conservatives "fascists," a film like this is inevitable. What is so disturbing about it is the fact that it uses real footage. Yes, our president did sit there, a little cross eyed, for 7 minutes. Yes, soldiers representing the American people took pictures with bound Iraqi prisoners in an inhumane manner. Yes, that is an Iraqi child's arm sliced to ribbons. Yes, our sons and daughters are dying while the Bush twins wear fancy dresses.
Step back from Michael Moore and just look at the movie. He really only appears as a narrator and an interviewer, cutting his stunts from "Bowling for Columbine" down to one chuckle-inducing trip in an ice cream truck.
One thing Moore's detractors keep bringing up is the fact that he's wealthy. Frankly, this is a hilarious claim to make considering the fact that George W. Bush and his entire family is not exactly self-made. I think making money off of your art is much more noble than through your oil tycoon family. So what if he was born into a middleclass family? Most of Americans *are* middleclass. He made his money, he didn't inherit it. Isn't that the American dream? To rise through your own efforts?
You can't claim something is totally fictional when it uses real footage. I'm sorry but, YES our president SAT there. If you really want an un-biased look at the film, just mute whenever Moore talks. Listen to the president. Listen to the mother. Listen to the soldiers. That's America talking.
Frankly, I find it very odd that everyone who supports Bush has the time to write reviews here. I mean, you support the war. Shouldn't you be signing up? Or is that just for innercity kids looking for college money?
Then there's the Christian approach. Hooray for you. The dirty homosexuals won't get married. But that won't stop them from having fabulous sex. But for some reason you still enjoy "Will & Grace" and give it excellent ratings, even in the red states... Hmmm. Unfortunately, history will not look kindly upon you, in the same way history does not look kindly upon those against the rights of minorities in the civil rights. So there's a big "f you" from your grandkids.
And hey...Do you really think Jesus would be happy with the state of things?
Ha ha. Moore-on. That's funny. Have a cookie.
66 Moore misses about half the story.
I don't know what I can add to the nearly 1,800 reviews that are already here, but here goes...
It's understandable that after experiencing the darkest side of American capitalism first hand in Flint, MI, that Michael Moore still thinks that US foreign policy is all about the money, but I sat through this whole movie waiting for him to drop the bombshell that a good chunk of what the "neo-cons" are about is fundamentalist Christianity...but that never came. Hell, even 60 Minutes ran a piece last year about how potentially powerful the evangelicals are, politically, in the US.
There is a lot of debate going around right now as to what "neo-conservativism" really is, and whether or not it actually exists. I don't feel that it's too much of a mystery. Yeah, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bush, etc. don't carry cards in their wallets saying that they are "neo-cons," nor do they sport neo-con T-shirs under their shirts and ties, nor do they have a secret handshake, but there is a very real movement afoot among them and others like them; and it's purpose is to build a world in America's image: not just a world of democracy and capitalism, but a world that practices these things EXACTLY like America does; no more, no less. The tragic events of 9/11 have given them just cause, as they see it, to say, "No more, Mr. Nice Guy," and bring their ideology "out of the closet," to a greater degree, as if to say to the democrats, and the rest of the world, "Okay, your way didn't work with these terrorists, so now we're going to do it OUR way"...and, in this way, the 9/11 terrorists gave them exactly the grist they needed for things like a Homeland Security Dept., "The Patriot Act," and the Iraq war.
There is no question in my mind that fundamentalist/evangelical Christianity is behind the neo-con movement...the only question is to what degree are they fundamentalists themselves, and to what degree are they just pandering to fundamentalist fears and values in order to secure 70,000,000 votes every election. The disorganized democratic party needs to wake up to how much political power the evangelical movement wields and how unified they are in their vision of one nation, and one world, under the Christian god. They are potentially every bit as dangerous as the fundementalist Islamic terrorists that the neo-cons have waged war against, perhaps even more so.
Moore completely misses the religious aspect of the "war on terrorism," making it mostly just about Saudi oil money, and I feel that as much sediment as this movie stirred up, some people just found that a little hard to believe. If he had brought up the whole "holy war" aspect of this conflict, it would've brought the wrath of the bible thumpers down on him (although it's hard to imagine that Moore would be intimidated by that), but it probably would've ruffled some more of the RIGHT feathers as well. Furthermore, Moore seems to get a little more "grandstandy" with each documentary, driving in thumbtacks with sledgehammers; and I think this tends to appeal more and more to the "choir" that's already on his side, and less and less to people on the fence whose minds might otherwise be changed by his movies. The "ice cream truck loudspeaker" bit in this movie, might've been a little much, for example. I know some pretty liberal people who think that Michael Moore's getting to be too much of a smart ass. If it gets to the point where too many people "run and hide when they see you coming" how effective can you be?
Fundamentalist religion, and the corresponding belief that "man"--as God/Allah's favored species--can do whatever the hell he wants here on earth, is the single biggest threat to humanity...and those of us who can still think for ourselves need to wake up to that fact, while we can still save our civilization. Organized religion has little to do with TRUE faith, or REAL spirituality. One can be completely "godless" and still have faith, and still be deeply spiritual.
67 Admittedly, this movie is biased
It takes many pot shots at George W. Bush and his chronies. As biased as it is, it outshines in substance anything coming from such right-wing nutballs like Sean Insannity and Rush Limberger.
The best part of the movie to me was when the secret service approached Michael Moore who was conducting an interview accross the street from the Saudi embassy. Talk about impeccable timing.
To the right-wing zealots who have negatively reviewed this movie without having watched it, I suggest you rent it and decide for yourself. Perhaps you will be inspired to shake off the effects of congenital disciplitis that seems to pervade what is left of your intellect. The fact of the matter is, that conservatives don't want to know the truth and Michael Moore is hated because he undermines their attempts subterfuge of the common American. Yeah, it is too bad that the movie didn't result in George W. Bush being a one term Republican. One thing I'll give credit to Bush for. He's got this atheist praying again. Praying for the health of all the supreme court justices (with the exception of Scalia and Thomas).
One last thing. I thought the footage from Iraq was especially interesting. I saw a side of the war that you won't see on FoxNews (PRAVDA) ever. You watch those segments and wonder why we are so popular in Iraq.
68 I dont find my ideals in a movie theater
This "movie", not documentary, is the biggest joke i have ever witnessed. [...] The truth about moore is that he is not a democrat, he worked for nader in the 2000 election costing Gore the presidency. Moore is a green party socialist with no intention of supporting John Kerry. So what is the point of this movie? Do u really think Moore is a fighter for the little guy? He was born in a middle class family, private schooling all his life, now he is a millionaire. Sorry, when i thing a crusader of the people i dont think of a fat ass millionaire who makes movies. So what is the point of this movie? Well, he knows the liberal media hates BUSH so why not cash in with an insulting fictional movie. The people bought it, he got paid, and the liberal media gets another "brave figure head to look up to" as if he knows what he is talking about. So the movie is out, Moore is richer and fatter, but where is Bush? STILL in the white house for 4 MOORE years loosers!!! You liberals got conned, Moore dosent even agree with Kerry and he is rich, he just wants bush out of office. So lesson is, ideals dont come with popcorn and a drink. Since when is a fatt ass white millionaire an ally of the democrats? Maybe spongebob the movie will have all the answers for all u mooreons
69 Impossible to Ignore, Unfortunately
Michael Moore's film, Fahrenheit 9/11, generated considerable controversy with good reason. It is difficult to imagine anyone viewing the film, especially during 2004, an election year, without developing rather strong feelings about the subject matter. From the title of the film alone, the viewer prepares for a gut-wrenching experience in preparation for watching a documentary that intends to shoot from the hip and does so relentlessly and without apology. Producer/director Michael Moore's appearance in his own film makes it clear that he acts purely from personal motivation in creating such a film at such a strategic time. The question that many are trying to ask is: is Michael Moore pro-American, anti-American, anti-Bush, or what? How can any person conceive of such a disturbing film to show to a public that is still living in the trauma of the event s of September 11, 2001 unless he is trying to convey a message? Even more of a question is: just what are we supposed to understand from this film? Is this Michael Moore's day in the sun, or is it an indictment of President George W. Bush?
Moore's dislike of President Bush and the Bush family is obvious from the start. The film paints a very negative picture of the Bush family as being driven only by oil-based wealth that is linked directly to the Bin Laden family, the Saudi royal family, and various corpora ies that are all apparently "in on the deal" in terms of generating profits from all the events that developed before and after September 11, 2001. Moore makes it a point of presenting the idea that the tragedy of September 11, 2001 was a carefully orchestrated event performed with the knowledge and, more than likely, consent of the Bush family at a time when Bush was, as the film states, "on vacation" as his popularity rating plunged. The film is truly a cynic's delight in making the point that everything that took place on September 11, 2001 had but one purpose: to generate more wealth for the Bush family and the Saudis, both of whom enjoy an immense amount of protection by the Secret Service.
Moore's appearance in the film adds an element that makes him open for caustic criticism, as he is neither photogenic nor particularly tactful. The one element that compensates for what many may believe to be Moore's exaggerated ego in making himself a feature in his own film is the obvious sincerity in which he pursues his subject; nobody viewing the film can doubt that he believes very strongly in what he says. His visit back to his hometown of Flint, Michigan hits hard, as he shows the economic devastation in the city and the aggressive efforts to recruit the many young people affected by the economic blight into the military. The footage showing the bereaved family of Sergeant Michael Pedersen hits home in a way that cannot be ignored, unfortunately, by anyone viewing the film.
The filmed carnage of the war in Iraq, a major feature of the film, evokes memories of the Vietnam War for persons old enough to remember that era; persons from later generations for whom the Vietnam War is only a name from history cannot ignore the grim reality that the war in Iraq is something that has already impacted American society permanently. The film, however, makes a compelling point that the one and only motive for launching the war in Iraq was commercial and suited the needs of the Bush oil empire more than protected the American people, which was the reason President Bush appears in the film as stating as the objective of the war. Add to that the sight of Lila Lipscombe, the mother of Sergeant Michael Pedersen , who, by her own admission, is a "conservative Democrat" and who states openly that she is proud to be American, weeping over her son's death, and the result is a frontal attack that provoked talk in the Bush administration of possibly banning the film. Had the Bush administration taken such an unprecedented measure, Michael Moore would have become a martyr nationwide immediately, and the impact of such an action on Bush's chances for re-election would have been felt acutely.
The actual attack on September 11, 2001, interestingly enough, takes up so little time in the film that it might seem to some viewers almost insignificant, but it is, in fact, the focus of the entire film. Moore depicts the attack as an event of which the Bush administration had ample prior knowledge and could have prevented simply by monitoring the many Al Qaeda members, most of whom were Saudi nationals, residing in the United States and studying in American flight schools at the time the attack took place. President Bush is depicted as a President-on-vacation throughout the entire period of crisis, and the message that comes across is that the September 11, 2001 attack was only one part of a scheme to manipulate the public into a mindset of terror so that a grandiose scam could be carried out that would generate profits for American firms connected with defense contracting and fossil-fuel energy sources, as well as the Saudi royal family, who, according to the film, is so close to the Bush family as to be regarded as related.
The film makes no pretense at being balanced in its views. No attempt is made to convince the viewer that the report is nonpartisan or unbiased. The audience sees exactly what Michael Moore wants it to see, and Moore does a superb job of presenting his views in a clear, concise manner on film. The viewer is, therefore, compelled to decide whether to accept the film as an accurate documentary or political propaganda aimed at dislodging George W. Bush from the Presidency. Bush's rather hostile policies toward the underprivileged sectors of the population will probably mean that the film will generate almost unanimous support of Moore's views, especially when they see the exploitation of the victims of the economy. In light of the way Moore pointed out accurately that many of the people living in the economic plight in the United States live in conditions not altogether different from those that exist in war-torn areas of Iraq at that time, persons who wondered if they had anything to hope for in terms of simple survival would surely have expressed their views in November 2004. History relates, however, that Bush was re-elected as President, so if Michael Moore's goal was to prevent re-election, clearly he did not achieve his goal.
Is the film worth seeing? From a historical standpoint, it is. It is, however, definitely not for the faint of heart, and a person who seeks to keep stress levels down might find the film unduly upsetting. However, even if a viewer agrees or disagrees with Moore's documentary, the film has recorded beliefs held by the public that will not go away.
70 Terrorism at Home
This film is absolutely deplorable. Sloppy filmmaking aside, the perversion of truths and events to create this sham of a political statement is criminal.
For those who have seen the film, please review the following information:
The following .pdf link is the findings of the Indepedence Institute, a non-partisan group that spends a great deal of time debunking falsities from both right and left. (Do a little research on the group if you question their lack of biases.)
[...]
If you read the above document in full, then I can only hope you feel the same disgust for this film and it's creator. By the true definition, terrorism has no direct tie to violence and murder, and in the true sense of the word, I hope you can see that this film is terrorism in its purest form.
I am sure that the majority of this site's readers have passed over this paragraph upon reading the first sentence. And I am fairly certain that few have read the findings of the Independence Institute. But for those who have made it this far, regardless of your politcal opinions and views, I can only hope that in the future you will help to condemn this terrorism from home.
71 SIMPLE TRUTH. Straight from horse's mouth!
On Nov 2nd, by a few thousand votes in Ohio, Amerikkka chose 4 more years of the most dangerous and most stupid president in history (and I remember all the way back to Ike!).
But, then many of you, hey, you just want somebody down to earth and reallll simple, doncha?
Want PROOF that Michael Moore knows of what he speaks?
Then here you go... We'll make it real simple for ya. Straight out of the horse's mouth.
I bring you words from our practically illiterate George W.Bush.
"I KNOW WHAT I BELIEVE. I WILL CONINUE TO ARTICULATE WHAT I BELIEVE AND WHAT I BELIEVE-I BELIEVE WHAT I BELIEVE IS RIGHT."
" I WAS PROUD THE OTHER DAY WHEN BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS STOOD WITH ME IN THE ROSE GARDEN TO ANNOUNCE THEIR SUPPORT FOR A CLEAR STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: YOU DISARM OR WE WILL."
" I'M ALSO NOT VERY ANALYTICAL. YOU KNOW I DON'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME THINKING ABOUT MYSELF, ABOUT WHY I DO THINGS."
" I UNDERSTAND SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH. I WAS ONE."
" THE BEST WAY TO RELIEVE FAMILIES FROM TIME IS TO LET THEM KEEP SOME OF THEIR OWN MONEY."
" I'M THE MASTER OF LOW EXPECTATIONS."
" DICK CHENEY AND I DO NOT WANT THIS NATION TO BE IN A RECESSION. WE WANT ANYBODY WHO CAN FIND WORK TO BE ABLE TO WORK."
"ARBOLIST...LOOK UP THE WORD. I DON'T KNOW; MAYBE I MADE IT UP. ANYWAY, IT'S AN ARBO-TREEIST,SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS ABOUT TREES."
" RARELY IS THE QUESTION ASKED: IS OUR CHILDREN LEARNING?".
"IT IS CLEAR OUR NATION IS RELIANT UPON BIG FOREIGN OIL. MORE AND MORE OF OUR IMPORTS COME FROM OVERSEAS."
"IF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION MEANS WHAT I JUST DESCRIBED, WHAT I'M FOR, THEN I'M FOR IT."
"ACTUALLY, I-THIS MAY SOUND A LITTLE WEST TEXAN TO YOU, BUT I LIKE IT. WHEN I'M TALKING ABOUT MYSELF,AND WHEN HE'S TALKING ABOUT MYSELF, ALL OF US ARE TALKING ABOUT ME."
" THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ENOUGH PEOPLE IN THE SYSTEM TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF PEOPLE LIKE ME."
" I HAVE A DIFFERENT VISION OF LEADERSHIP. A LEADERSHIP IS SOMEONE WHO BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER."
" THE FACT THAT HE RELIES ON FACTS-SAYS THINGS THAT ARE NOT FACTUAL-ARE GOING TO UNDERMINE HIS CAMPAIGN."
" A TAX CUT IS REALLY ONE OF THE ANECDOTES TO COMING OUT OF AN ECONOMIC ILLNESS."
" WELL, I THINK IF YOU SAY YOU'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING AND DON'T DO IT, THAT'S TRUSTWORTHYNESS."
" WE DON'T BELIEVE IN PLANNERS AND DECIDERS MAKING THE DECISIONS ON BEHALF OF AMERICA."
"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS LEGACIES. AT LEAST, THERE IS A LEGACY, BUT I'LL NEVER SEE IT."
" I DON'T REMEMBER DEBATES. I DON'T THINK WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME DEBATING IT. MAYBE WE DID, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER."
"IF THIS WERE A DICTATORSHIP, IT WOULD BE A HECK OF A LOT EASIER, JUST SO LONG AS I'M THE DICTATOR."
"THEY HAVE MISCALCULATED ME AS A LEADER."
" THEY MISUNDERESTIMATED ME."
" I THINK WE AGREE, THE PAST IS OVER."
(TO BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT FERNANDO CARDOSO) " DO YOU HAVE BLACKS, TOO?"
" I THINK ANYBODY WHO DOESN'T THINK I'M SMART ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE JOB IS UNDERESTIMATING."
" I THINK WE OUGHT TO RAISE THE AGE AT WHICH JUVENILES CAN HAVE A GUN."
" THIS FOREGIN POLICY STUFF IS A LITTLE FRUSTRATING."
" ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT BOOKS IS SOMETIMES THERE ARE SOME FANTASTIC PICTURES."
" AND THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND, NOT ONE DOUBT IN MY MIND, THAT WE WILL FAIL."
My fellow Americans, congrats on electing Jed Clampett.
Hope your decision doesn't bring about the very apocalypse you fear so much.
72 Opens your eyes...
Well...after reading some of the reviews that said this was banned on bases you will think not so shocking if you have watched this movie! The movie does not tell you what to think and if you don't believe something in the movie then you still will not believe it when the movie is over so what is the harm in watching this movie?! I absolutely love this movie. I was opened up to Michael Moore when I watched Bowling for Columbine and have been following him closely since then. I wanted to see this movie at the movie theater, yet the people who I know did not want to go and support this movie...their choice! I did however buy it the day it came out and was pleased I bought it. I absolutely love it and it opened my eyes to controversies that I thought might be happening, but was sure how they would go about it. I think my favorite part in the movie was when Michael Moore and a recruiter for the military stood outside the Capital building and tried to Recruit the children of government people. Just funny how they don't want to send their own kids but would send everyone else's in a heartbeat. Food for thought...I also loved the way it went from serious to silly and also posed thought provoking questions. I think everyone should watch this movie at least once and if you don't like it then don't watch it again! Everyone is entitled to an opinion and if you don't watch this movie and judge it, then you are spreading ignorance, if you watch this movie and then don't like it at least you will have a base to go from! I don't think this movie will change opinions but I think it will provide food for thought. My biggest peeve is that people who have not seen this movie talk about how bad it is...yet they have nothing to base that opinion on! This movie is in no way unpatriotic! It is actually quite patriotic-Michael only wants the best for the people of the United States and especially for our troops all over the world! Hope everyone who checks out this movie at least watches it to form their own opinion!
73 Good, but a lot of manipulation
I liked this film quite a bit, but rather than presenting facts Moore tends to shade the truth with all sorts of funny and unnecessary little dramas. If you're looking for a real documentary about the war in Iraq I'd recommend "Rush To War." It's far more balanced than this one.
74 Raising Heck
One of the reason's why i think Mr Moore is so cool is because he exposes these neo-con fascist clowns on video, and let us "intelligent" americans see who are the power-hungry puppets that are destroying this country. The sad thing is that most americans are too stupid to do anything about it. All they do is sit on their couches, get fat and wave their flags like the ignorant twits they are. Not noticing that the country is headed down the toilet under the leadership of this "special" president of ours. Our founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves. Brilliant men like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jeffreson, John Adams, would be ashamed of the country they founded on Liberal ideals, if they knew what was going on these days. Surely they'd laugh at us for even contemplating voting for someone as dullard as Dubya let alone actually electing the goof.
Michael Moore let's us see that the Republican party is unbelievably corrupt with money-hungry, power-obsessed neo-cons who only wish to make as much money possible without any regard to fellow citizens and how it might affect them. "Fahrenheit 9/11" is brilliant in how Moore shows the audience on video how these people really work. Not way to repudiate that. It's right there on film for all to see. He even exposes the corporate media for being pawns of our corrupt government. Moore is to be applauded and praised for this piece of art and for having the guts to show it. He's a rebel in an era when investigative journalism seems to be a dying art and the ignorant majority seem to be okay with that.
75 Why is America so apathetic?
How can this war be going on? How can we have re-elected this man (and I use the term loosly)?
I've heard people say Moore twisted the truth and made up lies, but I saw none of that. I think this film was presented with integrity and plenty of proof to back it up. I'm not one just to take someone's word for it, and neither should you be. Watch this film and then do some checking on your own.
76 It's About Time Someone Stepped Up...
Whether you like this movie or not, I give it 5 stars because it shows the Public what is going on. And for the people that say, don't believe what you see on this movie, well, Michael Moore doesn't use special effects. The footage of Bush IS actual footage. This may be propaganda but it is also and eye opener for the public, as to say that not everything is hunky-dory behind the scenes. There are things that are happening that you don't know about, and Michael Moore at least tries to make people see that. You don't have to agree with it, but there does need to be more awarness of what is actually happening with everyone on this planet. You may think that it doesn't affect you, but when Billions of dollars(your money) are going towards things that you might not even know about, then there is a problem. This film tries to show that, and I think it also tries to get people to speak up and say, that is not right, we need to do something.
77 just so true
I watched "Rodger and me" a few months ago, and sometimes found Moore to be a bit too biased, so I really didn't really know what to expect from this movie. True, he sometimes draws a bit far-fetched conclusions on pretty loose facts, but rather than dismissing the film as propaganda, we should take this as an encouragement to think for ourselves! Beliefs that cannot be questioned are not beliefs, they are myths. From my point of view, Michael Moore has made a brilliant documentary, which despite some far-fetched ideas essentially comes down to be just so true. In this fantastic world of precision bombing, war seems to be just another videogame. You just have to watch the last 20 minutes to get to know what war is REALLY about.
78 Exhibit A for Our Criminal President
After seeing "Fahrenheit 9/11" on DVD, I'm surprised that "President" Bush isn't behind bars. The evidence is there, folks! Prosecution rests.
79 Amusing, but annoying...
I give "Fahrenheit 9/11" two stars because it was edited well, and I always find Michael Moore amusing. I was a huge fan of Moore's "TV Nation" program back in the '90's.
Let me speak freely, "Fahrenheit 9/11" is a work of propaganda. Some folks cringe when they hear the word, "propaganda." It's not a bad word. The third ed. of THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE defines propaganda as: "The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause." Moore's detractors use the term "propaganda" constantly to discredit him. Moore's supporters are afraid of using the term, although it accurately reflects what his film is.
Moore's film holds a mirror up to its audience. Those of the left who wish to see the work as a factual account of the wrongdoings of the Bush administration will see this reflected in the work. Those on the right who wish to see this film as an unfactual account concocted to knock a sitting president will see this.
My biggest concern about the film is the lack of critical thinking amongst its audience. News departments around the country were interviewing scores of audience members who had just left the theatre after seeing the film. There werwe so many who said they were going to change their vote because of the movie. Many said that the film finally showed the truth about the Bush presidency. Anyone who changes their vote or declares a propaganda film has just altered their interpretation of the truth worries me. How many Germans were swayed to accept the anti-semitic "truth" of the Nazi party back in the '40's when "Jud Suss" was released?
Our nation urgently needs to be critical of propagandistic films. After watching "Fahyrenheit 9/11" my first impulse was to run to the library to do some serious fact-checking. It would be insane to think that this film is entirely factually accurate. Moore is a muckraker, and thank God there are muckrakers on both ends of the political spectrum. Would Moore be more forthcoming with his sources or his editing techniques if watchdogs on the right weren't putting his feet to the fire?
Watch "Fahrenheit 9/11" for the amusement value. Moore is a funny guy. I cracked up when I saw the "idyllic" scenes of pre-invasion Iraq. Whatever you do, viewer, please, PLEASE view Moore's films CRITICALLY. Do not believe every single event in them. Go to the library, do some fact-checking, after you watch a propaganda film from either the left or right. Don't tell the hometown reporter that you're going to change your vote. Don't be stupid- DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!
80 SHAME!
>>>>>Reviewer: Skyi (Clearwater, FL USA) - ......All the people that say this is all lies, should do some research. Michael Moore did a great job and anyone and everyone interested the state of thier country should watch this.....
SOUNDS LIKE SOMEBODY SHOULD DO A LITTLE RESEARCH OF THEIR OWN!!!!
THE ONLY PEOPLE MICHAEL MOORE EXPOSED FOR BEING IDIOTS ARE THE SAME PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT THIS FILM.
81 Absolutley amazing
This movie was so good. I saw it opening day in theaters and it got me all fired up fot the election. All the people that say this is all lies, should do some research. Michael Moore did a great job and anyone and everyone interested the state of thier country should watch this.
82 A great big lie
For those of you not too informed about politics, let me start by saying this movie is one big fabrication. Michael Moore is a liar. Plain and simple. There is no other way to describe him. Please do not be fooled by his blatently ignorant misrepresentation of our great country. I cant think of one part of the film that was actually true. His mocking of 9/11 and our men and women in uniform is disgusting and disrespectful. I urge anyone not enlightened into the whole political scene to not watch this movie, as it will give you the absolute wrong idea about our soldiers, our country, and our great leader George W Bush. If you are in the know about politics, and can sit through 2 hours of BS, go for it. You wont be impressed.
83 How the Mighty are Fallen
Beat out for the Director's Guild Award today by Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni's "The Story of the Weeping Camel". Ain't that too bad.
84 This should be under ficton, not documentary.
After countless friends recommend I see this to sway me away from my "republican ways" as they put it, I sat down with this film one day, expecting to see a well made movie carefully edited to put down the Bush administration. Boy was I wrong. I was absolutley disgusted in the immature and overly pushy approach Michael Moore took to this film, and felt that there were many instances where he was completely fabricating information for the purpose of the film. One quick example. In the Charleston Heston/NRA rampage Moore went on, he claimed that Heston marched into Denver less than a week after Columbine and "rubbed in" the tragedy by holding a convention. If you look closely at Heston's speech between the cuts to other images, not only is is out of context, but out of Denver. Heston is wearing different outfits, there is a different color back drop, and the speech Moore makes appear to be delivered in Denver was actually shots of film from all over the country spanning different years. I am by no means saying don't watch this film, but I think that it was put together very unfairly and is not at all an accurate representation of right-wing America. There is a book called "Michael Moore is a Big Fat Stupid White Man" that deals with a lot of issues Moore raises in all his films, that I think is a good antedote to 2 hours of Moore's fictional film.
85 This movie really opened my eyes
I didn't think that I would like this movie... but I did. With all the news that's come after it was put out, and there being no real reasoning for the Iraq war to have even happened, I think it turns out that Michael Moore was right after all.
86 Rrrrrrrrrrrr....
Last evening - F911. If y'all have never gleaned, I am not terribly informed on a political basis and typically just steer clear of discussions in politics. I have no basis but emotion and intuition on which to place most of my discussion.
[...]
I am still absorbing so many of the longstanding connections to all the wrong folks that this family has and how designed the presidency of Dubya is and continues to be.
And it just puts an awful lump in my gut when thinking about 9/11 and how much that man and his family have actually benefited and profited from that day's events.
Then, on DVD we watched VERONICA GUERIN, which was also an amazing film.
And both left me feeling like - against such big meanness - what can anyone one person do?
87 Bush and his STOOGES!!! ARE THE REAL THREAT
This film is unbeleivable, not only does it show the true lies about Bush and his stooges (RICE - POWELL - RUMSFIELD - CHENEY AND ALL THE REST), but also how stupid some Americans are about their own Gov'mnt. Michael Moore has done an excellent job and I dont care if he has made money from it. 2nd point, if this film is a lie then why dosnt the likes of Condy Rice take Mr Moore to court? I let you decide that if you have any sense. Great insight into the ILLEGAL WAR, great footage of SADDAM TAKEN DOWN ( EVEN THOUGH TEN YEARS EARLIER SADDAM AND RUMSFELD WERE BEST OF BUDDIES).
88 another winner from MM
F 911 hits the bullseye dead on, and then hits it again repeatedly for the next 90 minutes. Critics be damned, The Prez and his cronies hang themselves here with their own sound bites, none which are edited out of context, and none which are monkeyed with by Moore. What you have here is another Michael Moore painstakingly researched documentary (like all his others)with no filler, and since the 911 Commission's report has been released, no points to question, or called by some, outright lies. The facts are there for everyone to see, and hear, but some won't accept because of some false political ideology, or worn out political dogma. But they are here, folks. Straight from the commander in chief's mouth, and memos, and press conferences. Step right up folks and see the President sell the public a bad bill of goods. Some say it's not a documentary. WRONG! Documentaries HAVE to have a point of view. If it doesn't it should be called the evening news. F 911 is explosive, and outright depressing in the way the current administration are willing to go to war so the "powers that be" can make lots of easy bucks. Moore has balls, no doubt, big brass AMERICAN balls.
89 Review
I am currently a junior in college and majoring in Political Science so I was very interested in seeing this film. When you are aware of the source (Moore) and his views on the country this "documentary" can be a helpful educational tool, but you must not take 100% of this to heart.
Moore does not make things up, BUT he does present some of the facts of the movie in a way that makes them more shocking than they are in reality. For example : Moore makes a big deal of the fact that the Bush family has personal/business ties to the bin Laden family, which taken on its face IS shocking, but when you research it you will learn that anyone with a business hand in oil has relations with the bin Laden family, and it is a huge family, who disowned the infamous Osama. So the fact that the Bush's associate with the large bin Laden family shouldn't be quite as shocking as it comes across.
So while his movie is filled with actual facts some of the things he points out aren't really as uncommon as he would like us to believe (like the segment which he is SHOCKED to learn that members of Congress don't read all of the bills they pass in their entirety... well DUHHHH they are thousands of pages and there are tons of them!)
On the otherhand some of the things simply are shocking, and there is no way around them, such as the mother of a fallen solider sharing her story of how her sons final government check was docked the days of that week in which he was dead. That's disgustingly disrespectful of our government.
I have to say I enjoyed the film. Moore has a way of infusing entertainment into his fact. He does make several points and theories as to why the wars following 9-11 happened.
I think that if you view this movie with a sceptical eye you will be satisfied with it. Just go into viewing it after you learn a bit about Moore and his agenda. As with everything that has to do with politics there is always an agenda, and if you go into this movie aware of Moore's agenda you will know what to black out and what to take in. Just read up on his facts and listen to all sides of the story. But Moore's point of view is as valuable as anyones and worth all of the recognition.
90 Moore has no credibility
This work has already been shown to be full of deliberate misrepresentations, distortions, and outright lies. Moore admitted his bias up front, and people that were included in some of the scenes have complained that their viewpoints were totally distorted. The liberal Hollywood community pointedly failed to even nominate this turkey for anything such as a Golden Globe or an Oscar. The effect of this silly mish mash is to reduce Moore's credibility on his other projects rather than to say something real. Alhough he may look like the proverbial 800 pound gorilla, all he can produce is minor monkey shines.
91 Shocking - A Must see!
This is a film everyone should watch. Like another reviewer mentioned, it seems to only be the patriotic (and maybe rather naive) Americans who object to this film.
They cant see that their leader is a terrorist himself. I think Michael Moore did a fabulous job with the film, and presented all the FACTS. He didn't make any of it up, he should it for how it is. Of course it was made to represent Michael's point of view, but that can't take away from that fact that nothing in this film is a lie.
This is indeed a shocking film, and includes very graphic scenes of war. I think he did need to show this though, as so many people turn a blind eye to the poor victims of war.
(...)
Good job Michael, just a shame more Americans didn't watch and believe in your great educational film.
92 Hollywood... not America's moral compass
If all the facts were public regarding what has happened in our world, information which you will never see from our jaded media, the election would have been a landslide and Moore would have been nothing more than a blip on our screen.
I have found as a rule if you want to know how to live your life or you are in search of truth... observe the direction of Hollywood and take an alternate route.
93 Wasted opportunity
I watched this film last night, and having sympathy with many of Michael Moores views, I was expecting to enjoy it. I was in the end a little dissapointed. I felt the movie would have had a much stronger impact had it adopted a more neutral tone.
Michael Moore's self-righteous pushing of his own agenda quickly became irritating, clouding many of the issue's he raised. Anyone with a reasonable knowledge of world events will have noticed him being economical with the truth (e.g. the omission of Britain from the coallition) with the sole purpose of manipulating emotions. I found this a little rich considering his scathing attacks on the US government's fear promotion tactics.
Nonetheless, this is an important film. These issues needed to be raised, it's just a shame a greater focus was'nt place on the facts in hand rather than Moore's own anger.
94 a shame this was overlooked in this years oscars.
The nominations are out, and nowhere can the most controversial film of the year be seen. This movie is so much more than a documentary it's a Classic. As the disc loads, and the menu screen becomes active, you notice music(somber) and then you realize the menu is showing a clip on the morning of 9-11. A trusted man walks to the president, and whispers in his ear. you watch over the next few minutes (as the president seems to age quickly before your eyes) ,him sit before the classroom. The is the tone of the movie. It brings up new questions. This movie was once asked why it was not stricken from the public. Seen as bush bashing. It rather, stands as a sign of freedom. A chance for information to be heard and proud to partake in. The second act of the movie, the first covers curiosites and political scandles, is the side of the story that couldn't be told before. At first, you follow the trampling of Saddams Armies, The confidence of our troops. Moore steals this confidence with ducumentation of Occupied Iraq. A soldier stumbles and is devoured in a plum of dust and fire. Quickly, after watching the hate build in the cities, the nightly raids by our troops, I see the familiarities with vietnam. One young soldier covered in dust exclaiming, "I hate this place, I hate this war." Then you see the confidence replaced with anger, as you follow the documentation of cruel treatment to prisoners by our own. "thers nothing different from this war and Vietnam, The government was saying the same thing." This was a statement that stuck in my head for awhile, one of many. I commend Moores research team and tenacity to have this film reach the audiences of America. The DVD includes deleted scenes; something new for the fans who watched this powerful film in the theatres. Adding to this wonderful movie.
95 Propaganda Alert! Watch only with a VERY Critical Eye!
I am from Canada where a clear majority of the citizenry is against the US invasion of Iraq. Yet, this film is an example of a contrived presentation of the "truth" that can anger a Canadian, like myself, who is already against the war before watching the film's introductory credits.
This film is a work of propaganda that seeks to convince its audience to agree with a particular point of view by showing a collection of carefully screened and selected snippets of "reality". Michael Moore interviews only those US soldiers that have doubts about the war. Mr. Moore carefully chooses to interview a mother of a fallen soldier who is emotionally traumatized and angered by the on-duty death of her child, who had VOLUNTEERED (not conscripted) into the US military. Mr. Moore thoughtfully decides to show footage of Iraqi children killed by US aerial bombardments rather than footage of Kurds massacred by Saddam's soldiers. Mr. Moore deliberately wants us to watch scenes of US soldiers in Iraq arresting a terrorist/insurgent suspect (who could possibly be released later on) rather than a horrific scene of Saddam's secret police abducting a political dissident (who could well "disappear" forever). Mr. Moore degrades America's coalition of allies by listing only the smaller allies (Morocco, Coasta Rica, etc.) and not mentioning the larger allies (Britain, Australia, etc.). Thank you Mr. Moore for showing only what you want us to watch and omitting everything else that goes against your misguided anti-Bush crusade. None of your facts are erroneous, but there are a lot of deliberate omissions designed to give a distorted view of "reality". Further, Mr. Moore prefers to interview women rather than men, or rather, HYSTERICAL (and irrational) women who will provoke an emotional (rather than cool and rational) response from the audience. Why doesn't Mr. Moore interview a parent of a fallen soldier who can rationally look beyond the death and understand the "bigger picture"? Further, it is not natural for any mother to become traumatized by the death of her baby boy even if he had died fighting a more "just" war such as the war against Nazi Germany?
Finally, could Mr. Moore stop demonizing the Saudis? The Saudis are like any other people, even if one is disgusted by their method of capital punishment (public beheading) which is actually more swift and humane than death by electricution or lethal injection.
Yet, I will give Mr. Moore's film some stars for showing us things that one does not see on CNN, but always watch with a critical eye! For example, one learns from the film that the Bush family has business ties with rich Saudi families such as the Bin
