You Get What You Pay For

Michael Moore has released his latest documentary, Slacker Uprising, for free online. Being that it was free, and that I've seen most of his other films, I watched the 90-minute feature on /Film's blog. Calling it a documentary is being a little generous (moreso than calling most of his movie's "documentaries"). It's really like a concert film; Moore films the "Slacker Uprising" tour he went on before the 2004 election to help John Kerry win big. Well, we all know how that turned out.

So the actual reason behind his film was a flop, but in most circumstances that can actually make for a better movie. Just look at the documentary Lost in LaMancha, about Terry Gilliam's failed attempt to make a Don Quixote movie. That was gold! Instead, Moore has crafted an egocentric tribute to himself. Much of the film features him being adorned by screaming liberal college students packing in to their gymnasiums to hear him speak. He also parades out a slew of musicians and celebrities who remind us all how silly and naive they can be. Politics aside, it's just not a very interesting film to watch (especially because the majority of Moore's speeches feature him repeating things over and over and over).

I can't help but wonder if Moore didn't put his usual effort into the film because he was releasing it for free online. If he was releasing this film in theaters, like the rest of his movies, he would be out and about promoting it, gussy-ing it up with nice graphics and funny vignettes, and generally providing an interesting narrative. I just hope the quality of Slacker Uprising doesn't reflect on the quality of the free healthcare he wants the government to give out.