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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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81 - 100 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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A thought provoking film.

Full Review Source: Moviehole | comment Comment
11/02/02
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

That it comes up with no simple answers is to its credit.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
11/02/02
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

While watching Bowling for Columbine, the word 'absurd' kept coming to mind.

Full Review Source: Fantastica Daily | comment Comment
11/02/02
Shirley Klass
Shirley Klass
Fantastica Daily

A thought-provoking picture.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
11/01/02
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

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

Moore's most coherent and complex film yet.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
10/31/02
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A worthy successor to Roger & Me.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
10/31/02
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

This vital film has all of the street-smart urgency of Moore's best work and precious little of the smug self-indulgence that has so often led us fellow lefties to roll our eyes in embarrassment.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
10/31/02
Steve Schneider
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly

Digs uncomfortable humor out of shocking and sorrowful situations. You’ll laugh as you shake your head in disgust.

Full Review Source: Eclipse Magazine | comment Comment
10/31/02
Sean O'Connell
Sean O'Connell
Eclipse Magazine

As funny as it is sad. As brilliant as it is terrifying. Moore gives us the first necessary documentary since Roger and Me . And yes, I know he made that, too.

Full Review Source: Film Snobs | comment Comment
10/30/02
Jimmy O
Jimmy O
Film Snobs

Always the underdog, [Moore]'s fighting hard against just about everyone here, but mostly he's fighting to give a movie that's saddled with a terminally unclear thesis some sense of gravitas.

Full Review Source: MovieMartyr.com | comment 1 Comment
10/27/02
Jeremy Heilman
Jeremy Heilman
MovieMartyr.com

Bowling for Columbine isn't just a highly recommended accomplishment; it deserves to be required viewing...One of the year's biggest entertainments, and one of its most thought-provoking.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
10/26/02
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/26/02
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A sweeping, sometimes insightful and often funny look at America's culture of violence.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
10/26/02
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News

Bowling for Columbine would never be mistaken for even-handed, but it is at least a sincere attempt to find the source of this country's inability to curb gun violence and murder.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
10/26/02
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press

Thought-provoking, outspoken and frequently hilarious, Bowling for Columbine is vintage Michael Moore.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
10/25/02
Todd Anthony
Todd Anthony
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Gutsy, mandatory viewing.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
10/25/02
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

Impressively reframes the gun-control debate in terms that advocates of both sides might find fruitful, but Moore doesn't do anything to shed his reputation as a snot.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
10/25/02
Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Oregonian

By turns hilarious, infuriating, moving, manipulative, self-serving and, most importantly, absolutely required viewing.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
10/25/02
Rene Rodriguez
Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald

A film as mournful as it is amusing, one that forces even a seasoned agent provocateur like Moore to admit that he cannot answer the questions he poses.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
10/25/02
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star
 
 
81 - 100 (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...

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