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Michael Moore is a guy who
always speaks his mind. He takes every opportunity
to do so, no matter the consequences, no
matter whom he ticks off. He has a brash
and sarcastic sense of humor, which can
be a bit off-putting at times. He takes
full advantage of his First Amendment rights,
and whether or not I always agree with what
he has to say, I can’t help but respect
him for his willingness to speak out about
things he believes are right or wrong, and
laugh at the way he says them.
Moore’s first claim to fame was as
director and star of the acclaimed documentary
“Roger & Me” in 1989. The
film chronicled the town of Flint, Michigan,
which is the hometown of General Motors.
Well, at least it was until GM decided to
close it’s factories and move production
elsewhere. As GM employed most of the people
in the town, the effect this had was staggering,
turning Flint into a modern day ghost town.
Throughout the film, Moore continuously
attempts to meet with the company’s
chairman, Roger Smith, in order to have
a little chat.
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The film was eye opening, though perhaps a little
one-sided. Most of all, thanks to Moore’s
style and wit, it was funny and entertaining.
Since that time, Moore has gone on to direct
several award winning documentaries, most recently
the Academy Award winning, “Bowling For
Columbine.” He has also written a number
of best-selling books, and has had two successful
television series. The first, “TV Nation”
followed in the same vein as his documentary films.
Each week, Moore would go up against the heads
of large corporations and politicians and call
them out when they were suspected of wrongdoing
or cheating the public. I remember watching it
religiously when it first aired back in 1995 as
it bounced from NBC to FOX, both unsure what to
do with the Emmy Award winning series. It was
finally cancelled after 14 episodes (and one year
end special). It seems the networks were just
a little worried about all the powerful people
Moore ticked off.
Undaunted, Moore continued in his efforts to
‘speak for the people’ and in 1998
the second series was born, “The Awful Truth.”
It took up right where “TV Nation”
left off, only this time instead of airing on
a major network, it was produced by U.K.’s
United Broadcasting in conjunction with the Bravo
Channel. It ran for two years and a full 24 episodes,
all the while garnering rave reviews and an Emmy
nomination.
Now, thanks to the folks at Docurama, all 24
episodes of “The Awful Truth” are
currently available on two DVD sets, and will
be available on one 4-disc set being released
at the end of April. The sets are full of extras,
including commentary on selected episodes (and
if what he says on the show isn’t shocking
enough, wait until you get a load of what he says
here).
“The Awful Truth,” for those who
may still be unfamiliar with his earlier work,
starts off each episode with Moore on a stage
addressing a Chicago audience about whatever political
or corporate injustice is in the news, or in some
cases being repressed by those who control the
news. Then he introduces a short feature he’s
produced dealing with that particular subject.
In them, either Moore or some of his cronies,
attempt to meet with or if necessary, harass those
involved with the injustice. Whether it is Humana’s
unwillingness to grant a pancreas transplant to
someone who will die without one, or UPS’s
reneging on an agreement to grant full-time employment
to thousands of overworked part-time employees,
Moore goes after them all. And the way he does
it is never less than an example of uncomfortable
entertainment. Sometimes he’s kicked out,
but when he gets through, watching the pencil-pushing
bureaucrats who work for the ‘rich and powerful’
being put on the spot makes each and every episode
priceless.
Just to give you an example, in the Humana situation,
Moore accompanies the denied recipient to the
HMO’s corporate office to find out why he’s
been denied. They are supposed to meet with the
company’s vice-president, but the meeting
is cancelled at the last minute when he is ‘called
away.’ Moore then starts his harassment
of the PR guy who comes out to send them away.
He is asked repeatedly why the transplant was
denied, and though he promises to look into it,
won’t do it right then and there. The discomfort
lever grows as Moore asks him to help pick out
the patient’s casket, and goes as far as
to give him an invitation to the upcoming funeral.
Once they are finally escorted from the building,
invitations continue to be handed out to some
of Humana’s employees, then the ‘funeral’
is held right out in front of the building. I
won’t tell you how it turns out; you just
have to see it for yourself.
“The Awful Truth” is a ‘laugh-out-loud’
kind of show. The features are slick, and the
editing in some cases certainly paints a picture
of things the way Moore wants you to see them.
I mentioned before that I don’t necessarily
always agree with his politics or particular side
of an issue, and chances are you won’t either.
But that’s a part of what I like about Michael
Moore. Sometimes I find myself cheering him on
as he wins a corporate battle, but then when he
hits upon a subject where we disagree, instead
of getting all mad I sit back and laugh at the
absurdity of it all. He’s just so darn entertaining
to watch.
Being the outspoken person that he is, Moore
recently made some comments at the Academy Awards
that turned some people off. But like it or not,
he said what he felt and had every right to do
so. It may keep some people from wanting to take
a look his other work. That would be a shame,
but I can’t do anything to change that.
However for those of you that have the ability
to think for yourselves and not succumb to mob
rule, I highly recommend looking into the films
and books of this talented documentarian and all
around funny guy.
Since “The Awful Truth” ran from
1998 – 2000, some of the situations brought
up in “The Awful Truth”, are old news.
But many of them are still relevant today, and
aside from the overall humor of the show, watching
it gives you the opportunity to learn a little
bit about the things going on in the world that
the rich and powerful would rather you didn’t.
Starring: Michael Moore
Extras: Commentary on selected episodes, Moore
Awful Truths, Michael Moore Biography
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Docurama
Release Date: Seasons 1 & 2 already available
separately. Full box set available 4/29/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Websites:
The
Awful Truth - The First Season,
The
Awful Truth - The Second Season,
The
Awful Truth - Complete,
http://www.michaelmoore.com
We'll give The Awful Truth an A.
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