Those with weak hearts and excitable temperaments should probably not be allowed to see the film
Sicko (2007)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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
Sicko may just represent the high point in a well-documented resume. If we're going to be charged thousands for film of our innards, what's another ten bucks?
It will bring out the Michael Moore haters. It will have people taking legitimate shots at its logic. However, you can't deny SiCKO is an entertaining and thought provoking movie.
Presenting symptoms: queasiness, fever, hyperventilation, and mood swings. Diagnosis: You've just seen Michael Moore's latest film, "Sicko."
The national health-care expose Sicko is likely to divide audiences as much as his previous films. But it's also one of his better works.
A more responsible and less 'entertaining" film than [Moore's] past work.
Lots of Sicko stands as boffo political theater, but its major domo lost me by losing his sense of humor.
We Americans inevitably feel we know the best way to do everything, but the great accomplishment of Sicko is that it is difficult to watch this slyly confrontational film and remain sure.
With less lampooning and satirical asides, Sicko may be less "entertaining" than Moore's previous films, but it's also more affecting and effective.
Having been chided in the past for getting his facts wrong, this time he just doesn't present very many, preferring anecdotal evidence instead. The healthcare system needs medicine; all Moore has provided is a placebo.
Sicko, the professional provocateur's most accomplished and fervent film, is what the movie doc prescribes for temporary relief from the chronic headache that is the American health-care system.
The film is an alternately depressing and uplifting experience, a documentary whose ironies -- taking sick Americans to Cuba for cheaper, better health care -- won't be lost on anybody.
Sicko is Moore's most satisfying and mature film, with few cheap shots or transparent publicity stunts.
While so many liberal documentaries are angry and dour, Moore's approach is refreshingly funny and playful.
It may incite lawmakers in a position to help to trumpet their faux proletarian credentials.
This is essential viewing -- informative, corrosive, and even sometimes hilarious.
A better, more focused effort than Fahrenheit 9/11 or Bowling for Columbine.
A compelling, tear-jerking look at a vital piece of our infrastructure gone awry.
Overly simplistic and not terribly hard-hitting, but worth recommending for the unflattering mirror it dares to place before the government in charge.
Latest News for Sicko
January 11, 2008:
Juno, No Country for Old Men Among Writers Guild Award Nominees
If there's one Hollywood awards ceremony that you'd think would be able to go off without a hitch this year, it'd be the Writers Guild Awards -- but you'd be wrong. More...
January 09, 2008:
No Country for Old Men, Juno, There Will Be Blood Lead Critics' Choice Winners
In what seems destined to go down as one of the season's few strike-free awards shows, the Critics' Choice Awards were held on Monday. More...
December 10, 2007:
There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men Top Critics' Awards
Multiple honorees from four regional critics' circles include the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men, P.T. Anderson's There Will Be Blood, Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell... More...
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...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 67% 67% | Public Enemies |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 95% 95% | The Cove |
| 85% 85% | World's Greatest Dad |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

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

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



Top Critic

