It isn’t a controversial statement to say that Michael Moore
is a controversial filmmaker. Love him
or hate him, though, it’s hard to deny that the man has a passion for his work
and for the home country he so often criticizes in the hopes that his contribution
will make it a better place. However,
even people who agree with his political leanings, myself included, can find
his antics and particular cinematic style to be self-congratulatory and a bit
alienating to those who need the most convincing. Where
to Invade Next is a clever title for a film that is primarily about
“invading” social and economic policies of other developed countries in Europe
and (gasp) Africa, but Moore still his obnoxious self at the end of the day, so
whether you enjoy this documentary and fully absorb its educational contents
will depend largely on how much you like, or even can simply tolerate,
Michael’s shenanigans.
Moore makes a travelogue of adventures to countries such as
Italy, France, Finland, Germany, Tunisia, and Iceland to name a few, seeking to
learn what he can about their successes in worker’s rights, publicly funded
education, prisoners’ rights, women’s rights, and other metrics by which
various countries excel compared to the United States, the self-proclaimed greatest
country in the world. Moore brings up
good points about how the U.S. does not like to acknowledge the problematic
aspects of its heritage, and how we are a people more focused on
individualistic advancement than on community benefit and compassion, and he
makes a compelling case that, even if the United States doesn’t adopt the exact
models of these studied nations, the path we persist on traveling can only
result in negative consequences.
However, Moore is true to form in being a documentarian more
concerned with spectacle than responsibility.
He gained his claim to fame by making popular documentaries that
sensationalized his subject matter and delivered a pointed and opinionated
perspective, which works primarily to rally those who already believe in what
you’re saying. What Moore fails to do,
in other documentaries as well as in this one, is defend against
counterarguments in any way that doesn’t outright dismiss them, if he even
deigns to acknowledge that a counterargument exists at all. There are likely logistical and cultural
reasons why many foreign social policies wouldn’t translate one-to-one if
transplanted to the U.S., but Moore isn’t interested in that. Instead, he’d rather put himself in front of the
camera, putting on a hackneyed shtick about how he’s learning right along with
us how much better these other countries have it; that’s a level of
naiveté he should really know better than to assume of his audience.
As Moore himself says in an early voiceover, he’s “only
interested in picking the flowers, not picking the weeds.” Unfortunately, Mr. Moore, if you plan to be
honest with your audience, you have to show them the negative aspects of the
policies you advocate, otherwise you are selling saccharine half-truths just as
much as the politicians you rally against.
Where to Invade Next is far
from unengaging, and is rather educational when you get right down to it. However, it’s important to keep in mind that
the man behind (and in front of) the camera has an agenda, and whether you
agree with that agenda or not, reporting all the relevant facts is his
responsibility as a documentarian. If
you’re Moore’s kind of liberal, prepare to have your opinions validated. If you aren’t, then I highly doubt this film
will convince you otherwise, which is a shame.
I really wish it could have.
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