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Sicko (2007)
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Movie Review by Jarrod 
July 3rd, 2007
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Michael Moore seems to thrive on controversy, making "documentary" films most liberals love and most conservatives denounce as propaganda. Does Moore twist facts and distort the truth for the sake of his own agenda? Maybe he does. I doubt any documentary is free of bias However, whatever you may think of Moore, there is no denying his talent, and hsi ability to produce movies that are both entertaining and informative, not to mention obscenely amusing. Sicko, however, represents a fairly straightforward take on a bipartisan issue, American health care. Moore correctly points out the flaws in the system, and wonders openly how the richest country in the world cannot provide medical coverage for millions of its citizens.
Insurance companies are the villains here, focused on greed, paying people to deny claims and screw over their clients. But there is also some federal responsibility to this, too. Inevitably, the Bush administration creates an atmosphere of unrestrained capitalism, where insurance lobbies can pressure Congress to ignore reforms that would hold them more accountable for the services they are supposed to provide. The issue of government incompetence and lack of concern is one thing. What if a capitalist economy simply cannot take care of everybody in need? Moore seems to think it falls short in this area, and compares the US to France, England, and Canada, all of which have a socialist conception of universal health care.
He also explores Cuba, which seems to provide more health benefits to its residents than America, but one must wonder if the quality of the medical care provided is really worth it. In any sense, Moore goes there, along with some 9/11 volunteers who were injured, and were denied coverage because, apparently, they were volunteers. The sad story of these brave and unfortunate souls is accompanied by a story of a man who lost two fingers, had no insurance, and could not get them re-attached unless he came up with tens of thousands of dollars.
Sicko lacks a lot of humorous anecdotes, it is not particularly hard-hitting, but rather, a brilliant, well-made expose of a serious problem. Moore does not offer many solutions to the problem he addresses, but he does want to bring it to our attention, especially those of us who are lucky enough to have good insurance and have few financial worries when we go to the doctor or the hospital. I found Sicko to be compelling and effective, not to mention heartfelt, there is little doubt Moore cares deeply for the people he interacts with here. In all honesty, I enjoyed Bowling for Columbine more, but Sicko is sort of a throwback to Roger and Me, in which he went after General Motors, and discussed how the company's decisions impacted a small Michigan town. Moore revels in his celebrity status, but Sicko sort of avoids all that. Not as in-your-face, or as fiercely provocative as earlier features, more of a real documentary, informative and insightful, with sharp observations.
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