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Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this pointed documentary isn't meant for younger children -- not that they're likely to be interested in subject material like medical insurance companies, drug company lobbying, and government legislation regarding medical treatment anyway. That said, Moore makes the sometimes-difficult material understandable and frequently entertaining. Expect some very sad stories of things and people lost -- loved ones, property, and even hope -- as well as brief, potentially upsetting images (bloody injuries, a mentally troubled patient being turned out onto the street, etc). Language includes one pointed use of "bitch," by a tearful woman remembering her work as an insurance agent, and a written "f--k you" glimpsed on a Web site.
Families can discuss Michael Moore's filmmaking style. He makes documentaries, but they're not always purely objective -- he sometimes presents information in a way that better makes his point. Is that OK? How does that affect the way you view his films? Do you have to agree with his views to enjoy his movies? How does he make viewers feel included in his journey in this movie? Does that make the topic more accessible, in spite of the complicated issues?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Cynthia Fuchs
Michael Moore stands on the deck of a small boat he's motored from Florida to Cuba, the sea stretching behind him. Framed by his passengers -- three 9/11 rescue workers now suffering an array of health ailments -- he puts bullhorn to mouth just as the camera cuts to a watchtower at Guantanamo Bay. Moore pleads, "They just want some medical attention, the same kind that al-Qaeda is getting. They don't want any more than you're giving the evildoers, just the same."
It's one of several slow-motion-gonzo moments in SICKO, Moore's documentary about the business of U.S. medical insurance. Standing in opposition not only to the injustice of the system, but also to what he sees as the Bush administration's ineptitude, Moore finds a mini perfect storm. Preceded by shots of orange-jumpsuited Gitmo detainees playing soccer inside their cages and a tour of the base's hospital unit (which includes a well-equipped operating room and ample medicine), Moore's shout to the watchtower takes aim at America's war on terror, as well as border anxieties, military activities, and neo-imperialism.
Turned away from the camp, Moore takes his passengers on to Cuba, where they find clean facilities, attentive doctors, and affordable medications. This "feel-good" sequence closes with a tribute to the U.S. rescue workers by firefighters in Havana, a scene in which tearful embraces are augmented by the fact that one of the U.S. workers, medical technician Reggie Cervantes (currently suffering from "pulmonary and bronchial problems," according to the team of Cuban doctors who examine her), speaks Spanish. They agree that all rescue workers are a global family -- and if only the U.S. might learn to get along with its neighbors, the world would be a better place.
That's the most boiled-down point you can take away from Sicko, which, like Moore's previous documentaries, mounts a righteously angry, sentimental, blow-hardy, often-effective argument. Using mostly anecdotal evidence, the film shows how U.S. health insurance and drug companies make profits, owing to helpful legislation dating back to the Nixon years. The film takes aim at any number of legislative and executive figures who collude with the industry to maintain the status quo, while interviews with victims -- as well as former insurance company agents -- make the case that the system is broken and premised on fear, frustration, and greed.
The film also presents alternative systems -- Cuban, Canadian, British, and French -- that offer "free" care and, according to the movie, unfailingly friendly caregivers. "It all began with democracy," beams former British Parliament member Tony Benn, which "gave the poor the vote" and "moved the power from the wallet to the ballot." A woman living in France observes that "The government is afraid of the people, they're afraid of protests ... whereas in the States, people are afraid of the government." Though Moore doesn't interview anyone who complains about the taxes that support socialized medicine, he does point out that the U.S. manages socialized schools, postal services, and fire departments.
Apparently, the most effective strategy against the targeted companies is exposure. To prove that point, the film recounts the story of a man who was denied coverage for his daughter's treatment. He wrote Cigna ("without my permission," notes Moore), announcing that Michael Moore was making a movie about health care. Almost immediately, the company called to reverse the denial. If a movie that hadn't even been made yet had such effect, maybe now that it's out, Sicko will inspire other changes for the better.
Fans should also see Moore's previous documentaries, including Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11. You might also like the thematically similar drama John Q or the 1998 Frontline episode "The High Price of Health".
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentJokey use of President Bush's famous malapropism ("Too many OB-GYNs are not able to practice their love with women all over this country"). |
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ViolenceSome brief grisly medical imagery (for example, a knee being stitched in the opening scenes); photo of severed finger; references to Iraq war and images of detainees at Guantanamo Bay (they play soccer, but they are in prison). |
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LanguageA brief shot of an anti-Michael Moore Web site shows the written phrase "f--k you." In terms of what's said out loud, it's mostly pretty mild, including "suck," "bitch," and "ass." |
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Social BehaviorThe film casts the healthcare industry and the U.S. government in a negative light, using potentially upsetting scenes -- children crying as their father leaves for Iraq, a woman discussing her husband's death, a patient being cast into the street by a hospital worker, etc. -- to make its point. |
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CommercialismMedical insurance and drug companies are named (Aetna, Pharma, etc.). |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoMedications are dispensed and discussed. |
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