Editor's Note: This review does not represent official Hearts and Minds positions on labor issues. We welcome a wide range of opinions. Despite family tradition, Michael Moore chose journalism over automotive assembly. When General Motors plants close in his hometown of Flint, Michigan, he searches for the Chair of Executive Operations for answers on that devastating decision. General Motors plant closings result in massive layoffs and bring Michael Moore 's journalistic skills into the personal arena. Along with his camera packing' posse, he goes on the trail of GM CEO, Roger Smith, to provide some answers regarding the loss of 30,000 jobs in a city built around the automotive giant. His tenacity and sharp wit, outscoring his cinema verite style, takes him through the front doors of the dispossessed, the playgrounds of the rich, and into the belly of the beast. Hypocrisy peels away like old paint as each segment of Roger and Me unfolds. The film torch of Michael Moore uncovers the reasons behind his getting "the big blow off" for questions that make larger powers uncomfortable. Moore searches out social responsibility, gathering clues from the opinions of the terminated and the terminally optimistic. All the players in this tragedy, disgruntled factory workers to a plethora of hometown celebrities, reveal personal truths to a sympathetic camera lens, encouraged by Moore's keen sense of purpose. To make her grocery bill, a woman raises rabbits for "pets or meat." She graphically displays her wares, affectionate with the animals but resolute in her need for money. No less a victim of the layoffs than an assembly line worker, the city of Flint attempts to patch the gaping fiscal wound by creating a tourist trade. Moore analogizes it to going to Valdez, Alaska to see Exxon World! What is the solution to an increasing rate of displaced American jobs and its economic devastation of cities like Flint? Reagan-era spokesperson, Anita Bryant, advised the city to "Cheer up!" Michael Moore answered with Roger and Me. With a sense of humor and some pop tunes, Roger and Me portrays labor struggle in America from behind the front lines, providing more information than we have received in any recent war. Film written, directed and produced in 1989 by Michael Moore. Editing and sound by Jennifer Beman. Top of Page | Table of Contents | Home Page This web page and entire website © Copyright: 1997 - 2007 by Hearts and Minds Network, Inc. http://www.heartsandminds.org/film/roger.htm - online July 29, 1998, latest text changes February 2, 2001 |
Donate/Become a Member |
