Starring Michael Moore, a bunch of people without insurance
Written By: Michael Moore
Directed By: Michael Moore
Studio: Weinstein Company
Buy on Amazon.com link

Love him or hate him, Michael Moore is back with another documentary! I liked Michael Moore’s previous movies and TV projects, but I just didn’t feel like rushing out to see Sicko in movie theaters. I felt like I had to do that with Fahrenheit 911, to see what it was all about. I was just curious to see what Moore had to say about everything. Sicko seemed like the type of documentary that was more fitting to watch at home instead of a theater.

Award winning filmmaker Michael Moore’s latest documentary “Sicko” is about America’s crappy healthcare system and the people that have been affected by it. Moore investigates why the United States has such a bad healthcare system, why Americans can’t live as long as Canadians and how come countries abroad have much better healthcare coverage/hospitals than the United States does. The first half of the documentary is focused on several people and their healthcare horror stories. You don’t really see Michael Moore until the middle of the film. Maybe he did that since people always think it’s always about him and not his subjects? Moore shows himself when he visits relatives in Canada and talks to them about their fears of getting sick in the United States. He then goes over to England, France to talk to doctors and hospitals. Pretty much everyone laughs at him when he asks how much is the hospital visit? Whether or not Moore uses tricky editing or distorts his facts; the fact of the matter is the United States healthcare isn’t that great.

From watching this movie, it just reinforces my stance on wanting to move to England or to Europe. Besides getting a bunch of vacation time, you barely have to pay anything for hospital visits. Of course, every place might not be like that or it might just appear that’s the way things are done over there. I really don’t know; I’m quite clueless on healthcare and stuff like this. I just know that my benefits take too much out of my paycheck and as a result, I get crappy coverage. But this documentary really shows what happens when people don’t even have insurance. People losing love ones because the doctors turned them away, or they couldn’t afford the hefty hospital bills. It appeared in Moore’s movie, that at least the doctors overseas at least care if something is wrong with their patients and will take people even if they don’t have insurance. Clever filmmaking on Moore’s part or just the way things are outside of the U.S.? Moore brings up interesting numbers & stats about other countries living longer than Americans. Isn’t our healthcare system the best in the world??? I didn’t really think it was necessary for Michael Moore to bring 9/11 workers to Guantanamo Bay. While it was interesting, I just didn’t think it was too relevant.

Like with other Michael Moore DVDs, there are a lot of extras on the disc. There’s extra footage & interviews, lots of small featurettes & documentaries that didn’t really go with the flow of the movie. I liked the featurette “This Country Beats France,” which was on Norway being the best place to live for humans. Isn’t it cold there though? I maybe that’s just the misconception I have with Scandinavian countries. Other extras include featurettes, a music video from Tom Morello’s The Nightwatchman, the premiere, interviews, gallery and trailers.

Whether or not Michael Moore is twisting the facts like so many people claimed, this documentary certainly makes you start to think twice about your healthcare coverage. If you happen to like Michael Moore documentaries and books, you’ll really like Sicko. I don’t think it’s the “funniest,” as some people have said, but I think it’s a strong movie that has opened a can of worms on the U.S healthcare system. I doubt things will get better regarding this though.

Features:
Sicko Goes To Washington
This Country Beats France
Uniquely American
What If You Worked For G.E. In France?
Sister Mary Fidel
Who Would Jesus Deny?
More With Mike & Tony Benn
A Different Kind Of Hollywood Premiere
“Alone Without You” Music Video Performed By The Nightwatchman
Interview Gallery
Theatrical Trailer

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 CC

Video:
Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic)

Subtitles:
Spanish

Favorite Scenes: I liked when Moore traveled to England and the France.
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 123 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: