The documentarian/stuntman showcases the catastrophic effects of our dysfunctional health-care system so acutely that the film serves its purpose: It puts a fire in your belly, and rage in your heart.
Sicko (2007)
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Reviews Counted:191
Fresh:177
Rotten:14
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: Though some consider his political bent divisive, Michael Moore's humanism is pretty universal in this devastating, convincing, and very entertaining expose of America’s health care system. Moore's permissive to download Sicko paired with the film's activity-inspiring website made it a considerable accomplishment in grassroots activism.
Theatrical Release:26-10-2007
Synopsis: America's most incendiary filmmaker, Michael Moore, returned in 2007 with this health-care-industry exposé. SICKO tackles material as controversial as the topics explored in Moore's other films,... America's most incendiary filmmaker, Michael Moore, returned in 2007 with this health-care-industry exposé. SICKO tackles material as controversial as the topics explored in Moore's other films, yet does so in a way that places the focus on ordinary Americans affected by the nation's health-care crisis. After providing some historical background on how our nation's medical care system became so ravaged and unfair, Moore interviews a series of individuals and families who have had their lives all but destroyed by the denial of care in the service of profit. While there are two sides to the gun-control debate and even a legitimate discourse for how to best wage the war on terror, it's simply impossible to justify how a baby girl can wind up dead because her mother's health insurance wasn't accepted at a nearby hospital. Moore smartly allows this and other stories to be told with little or no interference, conjuring strong feelings of empathy, rage, and deep sadness. Of course, SICKO isn't a PBS documentary, it's a Michael Moore movie, and his fingerprints are all over it. Moore visits countries that have universal health care--spectacularly so when he takes several World Trade Center workers to Guantanamo Bay (and then to Cuba) to receive health care that they were denied in the United States--and presents a compelling argument for adopting a similar system in the States. Moore's ultimate purpose here is to compel Americans to care for one another, and it's a simple request that shockingly must be made via a major motion picture, making SICKO essential viewing. [More]
Starring: Michael Moore
Starring: Michael Moore
Director: Michael Moore
Director: Michael Moore
Producer: Kathleen Glynn, Michael Moore, Meghan O'Hara
Studio: Weinstein Company
Reviews for Sicko
It's doubtful even Michael Moore would claim Sicko as the last word on the subject. But it is a first word -- a very loud first word -- and while it may have been said better, at least Moore said it.
Moore could open a lot of eyes with Sicko but as the song says, we don't need another hero, especially one self-proclaimed.
Sicko is a teaspoonful of documentary sugar in a summer of popcorn salt.
Raise your hand if you've had any Kafka-like health insurance dilemmas. Yes, that's a lot of hands. And as it turns out, at least one has been severed.
Moore's films usually make conservatives angry. This one is likely to strike home with anyone, left or right, who has had serious illness in the family.
What's the problem with government health systems? Moore's movie doesn't ask that question, although it does unintentionally provide several answers.
Sicko is Moore's best, most focused movie to date -- much more persuasive than the enraged and self-righteous Fahrenheit 9/11.
Like 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' 'Sicko' is about a nation's moral obligation...
We've been indoctrinated with the idea that socialization of any public service is a bad idea, leading to unnecessary bureaucracies and inefficiencies. Remember when they used to say, "If you like the way the postal system works, you'll love socialized he
Le film le plus émouvant de Moore parce que peu importe ce qu'on pense de l'homme et de ses méthodes, il est impossible de ne pas être touché devant une mère qui a perdu sa fillette de 4 ans à cause des décisions d'une compagnie d'assurance.
It's those personal stories, of ordinary lives destroyed one form letter at a time, that make "Sicko" so powerful.
Even though documentarian Michael Moore is pretty much preaching to the Canadian converted, Sicko is a biting and funny indictment of the U.S. healthcare system.
has the same level of outrage as most of his other films but a considerably less strident attitude. ... Whether you agree with Moore's points or dispute them, 'Sicko' should inspire plenty of lively conversations.
This is top rate. It's funny, it's interesting, and there's just enough truth in there to make you mad.
If Sicko, like all of Moore's movies, raises more questions than it answers, you do have to hand it to the guy for starting the conversation (at least in pop culture) in the first place.
Michael Moore takes aim at his easiest target to date, and no doubt the hit he scores will become a hit.
It's not impossible that this bitterly funny, bitterly sad call to alms could move reform back up the political agenda. For that reason alone, you owe it to yourself to see this movie.
After the screening, I stocked my First Aid kit, inquired about buying an MRI on layaway and began searching for a barrel sturdy enough to jump Niagara Falls and stake my claim to socialized healthcare and a life of free Zamboni rides.
Latest News for Sicko
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December 10, 2007:
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November 20, 2007:
Fifteen Documentaries Vie for Oscar Consideration
A little over a week after reporting the names of the dozen films being submitted for Oscar consideration in the animated feature film category, Variety has given readers the... More...
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