RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Bowling for Columbine
Bowling for Columbine

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
96 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

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

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Bowling for Columbine

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Moore’s timing couldn’t be better aimed for all Americans to search in their heart of hearts and ask why we live in a pathological gun culture.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
02/16/04
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
02/01/04
FilmStew.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

'Valiente ejercicio de uno de los pocos individuos pensantes por parte de Estados Unidos que se ha atrevido a hacerse escuchar'

Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
10/02/03
Jorge Avila Andrade
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola

A classic of political debate.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
09/18/03
Mark Robison
Mark Robison
Reno Gazette-Journal

Try and find this film, watch it and talk about it. The issues that it covers are ones that beg to be discussed, and this piece has only scratched the surface.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
08/30/03
Shawn Bowers
Shawn Bowers
Kansas City Star

..is a lively movie that gives us, we believe, a firm grasp on the side of pro-gun control activists while portraying gun rights supporters as purveyors of senseless violence.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
08/17/03
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy

Las preguntas y sus posibles respuestas adquieren una dimensión mucho más impactante al ser formuladas por un estadounidense, o sea que la crítica proviene de adentro.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
08/06/03
Enrique Buchichio
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total

No one would ever mistake Moore for anything but a mudslinging yellow journalist, but sometimes extreme issues require extreme measures.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
07/29/03
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Michael Moore clearly and convincingly expresses his rage at the way fear, violence and the ignorance they both breed are whittling away this country’s soul.

Full Review Source: State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL) | comment Comment
06/26/03
Nick Rogers
Nick Rogers
State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)

Quando Tiros em Columbine acerta o alvo (com o perdão do trocadilho), não há como negar o brilhantismo da argumentação de seu diretor.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
05/17/03
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

This film is bitingly brilliant -- as only Michael Moore can be.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
04/09/03
Leigh Johnson
Leigh Johnson
Hollywood.com

Very very good

Full Review Source: sbs.is | comment Comment
04/08/03
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
03/07/03
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
03/04/03
Premiere Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Moore's statement on American paranoia extends back to the colonists. Would there have been a revolution if King George III had imposed a waiting period and trigger locks on muskets?

Full Review Source: Film Snobs | comment Comment
01/22/03
Stephen Himes
Stephen Himes
Film Snobs

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies | comment Comment
01/21/03
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Master movie muckraker Moore retraces the final days of the Columbine shooters, in an alternately sordid and absurd trail that ends up encompassing a culpable media and a wacky gun love culture.

Full Review Source: Long Island Press | comment Comment
01/19/03
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
Long Island Press

Michael Moore is a national treasure. Whether or not you agree with him, he puts out an entertaining product that will make you think.

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
01/16/03
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

...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
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
all

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...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
122
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
178
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
85
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
61
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
49
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
43
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
34
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
32
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
21
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
14
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
4
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
14
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
10
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
20
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
7
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
20
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Bowling for Columbine at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Bowling for Columbine at IGN
  • Bowling for Columbine at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.