July 8, 2004

Film Review

Controversy-ridden ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ is lopsided Bush-bashing forum

By Val Esquivel
Special to the Times

Bush supporters beware. “Fahrenheit 9/11” is not for you. In what has been deemed, “The movie that George W. Bush does not want you to see,” nobody closely associated with our president is spared. In fact, the movie itself almost never saw the light of day.

Funding for the movie was initially cut when Roger Friedman, of FOX News was pressured to back out from financing the project, but Miramax intervened. That was until the chairman of Disney (the parent company of Miramax) Michael Eisner, forced the Weinstein brothers (of Miramax), to seek another outlet for distribution of the film. Pressure from media groups curbed many distributors from picking up the film until IFC films and Lions Gate opted to take a chance. With the American public offering up $21.8 million of their capitalistic dollars into this film the first weekend, “Fahrenheit 9/11” now has the title of top-grossing documentary of all time. So why all the controversy?

Michael Moore, known for such well received documentaries as “Bowling for Columbine” and “Roger and Me,” gives his take on the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He weaves an intricate web detailing how big business, Saudi royalty, and the Bush family are all in bed with each other.

The movie begins with the controversial election of 2000 and once again brings up the issue as to who really deserved to be sitting in the Oval office. From here on out the film becomes a satirical journey into the life of a man that some would refer to as, “the leader of the free world.” With his constant barrage of personal attacks on Bush, Moore inadvertently takes away from much of the serious issues at hand. Clips from Bush’s past and present are shown that could cause some voters to rethink who they are voting for this year. (Although in a recent interview Moore refers to Bush and Kerry as “the evil of two lessers” so it seems no one is safe from his wrath.)

Rather then taking it to a personal level, Moore should have placed more emphasis on the countless lives that were tragically lost on Sept. 11 of 2001. Or the men and women that have given their lives or are currently serving in the Middle East. The picture that he does paint when addressing who is fighting the war in Iraq tends to be sympathetic toward the people in Iraq, and suggests that only the uneducated and poor are currently serving in our military.

If nothing else, this film may cause theatergoers to question exactly what goes on within the structure of our government. According to Moore, when bills pass through Congress and are vetoed or approved based on time constraints, when the family of a known fundamental terrorist are flown out of our country after a vicious attack on our soil, and when a foreign government owns upwards of 8 percent of our country’s wealth, it is indeed time to question authority.

Although there is validity to some of Moore’s claims, through the magic of editing, “Fahrenheit 9/11” comes across as a lopsided forum to bash Bush and his administration, rather than a documentary designed to shed light on the woes of our country. Proponents of Bush will stay away, while Bush opponents will soak up every tidbit of information they can, so come the next work day, they will be ready to spread Moore’s mantra around the water cooler. By embellishing many of the facts, Michael Moore actually does a disservice. Perhaps Moore’s talents as a documentary filmmaker would be better served if he let the true facts speak for themselves.