Michael Moore paints an overly simplistic view of what some European countries (and Tunisia) are doing better than America.
The title ‘Where to invade next’ is a little misleading. You’d expect it to be a doco about America’s military invading other countries and causing problems. Although that is touched on briefly at the beginning, It’s actually about Michael Moore himself “invading” other countries, looking at the way they deal with certain issues, and suggesting that America steal those ideas.
There is a great deal of interesting content here, and food for thought. For each country he visits he has a clear message on what the country is doing right and what America is doing wrong, which he tries to prove with interviews and facts. This is fine, as long as it is watched with an open mind and a realisation that there is always going to be the side of the story he didn’t bother telling. I would be surprised if there weren’t things on the cutting-room floor which were left out for reasons of contrast. All opposing points of view are completely glossed over.
Unfortunately, I had to seriously downgrade this film for two key reasons. Firstly, Michael Moore’s interview style is extremely irritating. Some of the questions he asks, you’d think he had an IQ of zero. Sometimes he repeats the inane question again for effect. I actually felt sorry for some of the people he interviewed. He can’t think much of the intellectual capacity of his viewers, if he thinks this is at all necessary to drive home a point.
Secondly, there is a segment about women in power in Iceland. This is all well and good, but some of the comments in this segment are extremely sexist towards men. Not only that, but at one point they decide to just film shots of women looking at the camera and doing nothing. As if we are aliens who have never seen women before, and are getting an introductory video. Very strange, and if anything it is an embarrassment to women.
Where To Invade Next premieres in Sweden on April 15.
Categorised in: Documentary, Film