 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Fahrenheit 9/11
- Review Date: October 3, 2004
- R
- Genre: Documentary
- 2004
Common Sense Media says
Controversial documentary best for older teens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a movie that we recommend you watch with your teens. Some viewers will be offended by Moore's anti-Bush message. Others will love it. Moore has a very definite point of view and has created an emotionally powerful movie. Either way, discussing this with your kids is very important if you let them go. War violence is shown, there's strong language, and you see extremely upsetting images such as a mutilated baby and a beheading in the distance, so we do not recommend it for young teens. This film is designed to provoke strong feelings, so whether or not you agree with Moore's point of view, know that you might want to discuss with your family how he selects material and builds his argument. This film is a strong jumping off point for families to discuss Iraq, the presidential election, and to listen to your kids as they develop their political beliefs.
What's the story?
Filmmaker Michael Moore specializes in documentaries that are more like op-eds than like news stories. He uses the technique of film-making to take a stand and he likes to stir things up. This time, he takes on the Bush administration and the war in Iraq. FAHRENHEIT 9/11 is a furious and unabashedly partisan challenge both to the George W. Bush administration and to all who accept what they are told about anything without questioning. This film takes on the controversial 2000 election, Bush's extended vacations, his IQ and effectiveness, especially in his response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, his ties to the Saudis. Moore also contends that rich old white people are sending poor young minority soldiers to fight and die in Iraq for a war that is killing civilians and is more for the benefit of American corporate interests than national security or Iraqi freedom. Moore makes his points with an avalanche of facts, wisecracks, cheap shots, less cheap but still mighty inexpensive shots, and often-snarky, sometimes-outraged commentary. He presents a fact, then amplifies it with sitcomish music and juxtaposes footage that makes the President and the members of his administration appear foolish or ineffective. Other clips are unfair enough to make the movie less powerful.
Is it any good?
Some of the movie is wickedly enjoyable, but some of it is clutter, and some undercuts the power of the points Moore is trying to make. Presidents get asked questions about all subjects no matter what they're doing, so when President Bush talks about terrorism when he's on the golf course, the implication that he's a modern-day Nero is overblown. Then there are moments that may be manipulative but are nevertheless unassailably genuine. A visit with the mother of a soldier who was killed in Iraq is moving not just for her loss but for her devotion and her ideals. Glimpses of terribly wounded soldiers on both sides and Iraqi civilians are shocking, as they should be. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld explaining the "humanity" of our surgical strikes and Bush hoping that our captured soldiers will be treated as humanely as we treat the Iraqi prisoners are chilling, as they should be. Then there are Moore's trademarks -- making fun of dumb bureaucrats and hypocrites. We meet Congressmen who duck when asked if their children will enlist to fight in the war they voted for and a sweet little group of Fresno peaceniks who were infiltrated by a federal agent. Much of the material about the administration and the war is already well-known to people who follow the news carefully. But assembled as a dossier of complex inter-relationships, conflicts of interest, ignorance, thuggishness, it's a devastating attack.
Some viewers will be offended. Others will take it as an opportunity to consider the way that other media sources tell the story. It is a powerful film that should be seen and responded to. We will not know for a generation or more whether it was right for the US to invade Iraq. That is the way of history. But arguments like those posed in this movie will not just help us think carefully about the topics it covers, but also about how we gather and respond to the information we need to make decisions about how to proceed.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Iraq, the presedential election, and how Moore uses cinematic techniques like music and the juxtaposition of film footage to underscore his points.
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Wacky Liberalism Exposed
Yes, go see it and see what liberals think of our nation. WE are the cause of Everything bad in the world. OUR actions cause people to hate us. The only reason we went to war was a pipeline to get rich in Afghanistan. Punch line: Bush does not get rich on a pipeline but Moore does lying about him. Give me a break.
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AGE
Must-see for anyone considering military enlistment
This film is a must-see for anyone considering military enlistement, because it clearly points out that military personnel have become the paid thugs that make the world safe for the big corporations, especially oil, and not the protectors of democratic freedoms. Michael Moore has done us a service by showing the real truth behind the lies that the administration and the media have been pushing for 2 and a half years. If the media were doing its job, this movie would have been seen by relatively few people. Since it has not, people are flocking to it to try to figure out what is really going on. I think Mr. Moore has done a pretty good job of outlining it all.
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AGE
No Credibility
Now that the 911 Report is out, I don't think Moore's suppositions can proven to be true. This movie is one-sided propaganda made to show everyone, except a few politicians, to look like idiots. How sad that people will make voting and making decisions based on this movie. I guess our country will get what we deserve.
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AGE
I lost six brain cells watching this!
Okay, the point of this movie as a hint to question our media's coverage of world events is fantastic. We need to do that. But the point of whether or not the Bush administration is good and using this film as a means of determing that, is BAD. Yeah, you can use this film to look at the general liberal point of view, I suppose, but to say that this is an absolutely must-see movie to judge the current administration is single-minded and ignorant to the fact that nowhere in this movie does Moore use a central point of view in considering things. He's too bent on making the Bush administration look like a bunch of idiots. This film has some truth in it, but it's biased truth and it's important that all viewers keep that in mind. Moore intentionally picked bits and pieces of footage to twist things and make everything the Bush administration has done look like devillish work. Yes, it's truth, but truth only goes so far when other truths have been removed.Thus, I recommend this film to people my age only if they keep in mind that Moore is an extreme leftist and has created an extreme leftist film. This film should NOT decide your political stance.
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AGE
Very innacurate propoganda.
I'm the last person you're going to find defending the Bush administration, but just because I don't like Bush very much doesn't mean that I agree that someone should make a movie that is so inaccurate just to make him look bad. A lot of people took this movie seriously, despite the factual errors contained therein. In any case, the movie is not really that inappropriate, so it should be fine for most teens. Even though I strongly disagree with this movie, it should still be watched just to encourage independent thought.
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AGE
Michael Moron
What a pile this movie is. Not worth the plastic its burned to.
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AGE
WOW
Non-stop out of context media. He needs to get his facts straight.
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| Studio: | Lionsgate |
| Director: | Michael Moore |
| Cast: | Ben Affleck, Michael Moore, Stevie Wonder |
| Genre: | Documentary |
| Run time: | 120 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | June 24, 2004 |
| DVD release date: | October 5, 2004 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | violent and disturbing images and for language |
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