“Bowling for Columbine”

Michael Moore’s monumental documentary, “Bowling for Columbine”, opens with an “Oh My God!”-bang (no pun intended): Moore visits a bank in Michigan that advertises a free gun when you open a bank account. He fills out some forms, walks out of the bank holding a rifle. Then the credits roll over the song, “Take the Skinheads Bowling.”

This film is a dynamic look at America’s fervour over the Second Amendment. Moore runs the gamut, interviewing parents of victims to rural nuts who have been investigated by state police for terrorist activity. At times, his film is fair in revealing sympathetic points of view on both sides. But ultimately, Moore waves his radical flags loud and proud, and this is where the film falters.

Take the “What a Beautiful World” sequence: a history lesson of the past fifty years of governmental mayhem played as a montage over the classic Louie Armstrong recording. Perhaps, Moore is right about some of the misconduct of the American military and government. But the problem with his film is that no solutions are provided and Moore treads the line of an anarchist. On a less cynical day, he’s like a stand-up comedian, one who reveals the foibles of world and softens the blow with humour.

“Bowling for Columbine” won numerous awards, including the Oscar for Best Documentary. Ultimately, it’s entertaining film, but not one that will provide any hope that the world really is a decent place to live.