Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018)

With Fahrenheit 11/9 Michael Moore is asking you to find him relevant again. From its very title, a play on Moore's 2004 box office busting documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, and the date on which Donald J. Trump's victory in 2016 election was announced, you already know what you think about this movie. Moore is nothing if not consistent, this movie contains rehashes of his signature bits, such as Moore going to a public place to confront a nemesis, in this case Michigan's state capital building to perform a citizens arrest on it's Republican governor Rick Snyder, invasions of personal space, here spraying polluted water from the city of Flint on the same governors lawn, commiserating with poor people, criticizing powerful people, gallivanting around the country, exhausting his editor, and otherwise preaching to the choir. Fan service in this movie includes Hitler parallels, a digression on Trumps sometimes creepy relationship with his oldest daughter, and playing the theme from the movie The Omen over footage of  Trumps 2016 election night victory party.

Moore can hardly be accused of breaking new ground, both in style and in the movies signature observation, that much of America today is politically broken. Other then Trump, both as problem and symptom of problem, the film seems to lack a central focus and skips around from topic to topic and story to story, poisoned water in Flint, teachers strikes in West Virginia, gun violence in Florida. This movie is a collage, and perhaps of most value long term as a time capsule. Fifty years from now students will be using this movie to cram from their poli-sci test on Trump era America.

For some the most surprising aspect of this movie will be the degree to which Moore goes after Democrats. Institutional bias against Bernie Sanders candidacy during the primaries is explored, the calcified leadership is criticized, even a particularly jarring and poorly executed PR stunt by Barack Obama, involving a glass of water in Flint, is righteously called out. The movie is a call to arms, but not particularly clear on what that in tells, other then that new blood is needed. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is interviewed, as are other defiantly leftist insurgent candidates across the country, largely women and people of color.

There is a certain schizophrenic element to Moore's political approach in this movie, which I actually think many people share as regards their reaction to the 2016 election. He bemoans Hillary's loss, while at the same time implicitly bemoaning Hillary. Moore is one of those Ralph Nader supporters who can never quite forgive himself for Florida in 2000, and while he would love radical change, he will gladly prop up a lackluster establishment to keep the barbarians at bay.

Mr. Moore is still a very capable filmmaker, he brings a 99 year old former Nuremburg prosecutor on screen and you want to weep for the mans service, he shows you a montage of Hawaiians reacting to what ultimately turned out to be a false incoming missile warning and you ask yourself, why have I never seen this presented so well and kinetically before? Moore has a habit of imposing himself too strongly on his material, self regardingly preening in a way that you will seldom see a man that schlubinly do. Fahrenheit 11/9 doesn't climb any new mountains, its not great, but through talent and an interesting array of subject matter it does slide into being a good, and occasionally (for some at least) even thought provoking movie. So I suppose he's a little relevant. ***