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Movies / On DVD / Bowling for Columbine
Bowling for Columbine

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Bowling for Columbine (2002)

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Reviews Counted:159

Fresh:153

Rotten:6

Average Rating:8.2/10

Consensus: Though it may not always convince, Bowling for Columbine asks important questions and provokes thought.

Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Synopsis: Filmmaker and leftist activist Michael Moore asks some serious questions as he probes the depths of America's trigger-happy gun culture in the insightful and amusing documentary, BOWLING FOR... Filmmaker and leftist activist Michael Moore asks some serious questions as he probes the depths of America's trigger-happy gun culture in the insightful and amusing documentary, BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE. Guns in America are used to kill an average of more than 11,000 people per year. This death toll is obscenely out of balance with other first world countries, which generally average a total in double digits. Experts and analysts have pointed to America's bloody history as a reason, but how does that explain the lower murder rate in Germany? Violent entertainment has also been fingered, but how does this account for staggeringly low numbers in Japan, home of the most violent entertainment video games on the market. Moore's trademark comedic tone is razor-sharp as his quest leads him everywhere from Littleton Colorado's Columbine High School to the home of NRA President Charlton Heston. Moore, oddly enough a lifetime NRA member, makes his main target the news media, but also fires away at inefficient welfare programs, Dick Clark, and Kmart. The latter is even compelled to make a major policy change in their stores due to one of Moore's confrontational stunts. This exploration into America's obsession with guns is disarmingly humorous, but Moore also asks challenging questions and fearlessly seeks responsible parties, making the film an effective call for more social awareness as well. [More]

Starring: Charlton Heston, Marilyn Manson, Matt Stone, Dick Clark

Starring: Charlton Heston, Marilyn Manson, Matt Stone, Dick Clark, James Nichols, Jeff Rossen

Director: Michael Moore

Director: Michael Moore
Producer: Kathleen Glynn, Michael Donovan, Charles Bishop, Jim Czarnecki
Studio: MGM/UA

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Reviews for Bowling for Columbine

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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This is a bold, blackly comic masterpiece -- everyone should see it.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
10/29/02
Nev Pierce
Nev Pierce
BBC
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
10/06/02
FilmFour.com
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
11/19/02
Guardian [UK]
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
11/03/02
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

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Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
11/16/02
This is London
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
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It could change America, not only because it is full of necessary discussion points, but because it is so accessible that it makes complex politics understandable to viewers looking for nothing but energetic entertainment.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
12/10/02
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
11/16/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Perhaps a world as outrageous as ours deserves a filmmaker as blunt as Michael Moore.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
10/14/03
Jurgen Fauth
Jurgen Fauth
About.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: American Dreamer | comment Comment
11/19/02
Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver
American Dreamer

Regardless of your political bent, you’ve gotta admit that Michael Moore is confronting critical issues that are all too oft-overlooked by the mass media.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
11/03/02
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

Michael Moore has perfected the art of highly entertaining, self-aggrandizing, politically motivated documentary-making, and he’s got as potent a topic as ever here.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
12/31/02
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
03/16/04
Apollo Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The most bold and socially important film to hit theaters this year.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
11/01/02
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
11/02/02
Arizona Republic
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...a documentary that walks up to the brink of the abyss, looks in, then stands back to giggle and shrug.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/15/03
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Fascinating, thought-provoking, often fitfully funny and sometimes devastatingly sad.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
11/02/02
Bob Longino
Bob Longino
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Fun and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
11/03/02
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
12/27/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
 
 
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Latest News for Bowling for Columbine

June 25, 2007: Michael Moore Talks "Sicko," Heath Care, Edutainment, Cuba
There isn't much middle ground on Michael Moore; his bromide-laden documentaries have earned him both an enthusiastic following from many on the left and unvarnished vitriol... More...

May 20, 2007: Cannes Wrap-Up: Michael Moore's Latest And Leo's Global Warming Doc
Michael Moore's latest doc, "Sicko," has stirred up more controversy for the Michigan muckraker. Is he onto something with his evisceration of the US healthcare... More...

August 14, 2006: Box Office Wrapup: "Talladega Nights" Stays #1, "Step Up" Surprises
Despite a pair of newcomers close behind in its rearview mirror, Will Ferrell's hit comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby finished in first place for the second... More...

July 31, 2006: Box Office Wrapup: "Miami Vice" Knocks Pirates From #1 Spot
Detectives Crockett and Tubbs shot their way to number one in North America with the cop thriller Miami Vice which finally managed to knock the megablockbuster Pirates of the... More...

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