Bowling for Columbine (2002)

Director:

Michael Moore

Writer (WGA):

Michael Moore (written by)

Release Date:

9 October 2002 (France)

Genre:

Documentary | Drama

Tagline:

Are we a nation of gun nuts or are we just nuts?

Plot:

Filmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.

Plot Keywords:

News Footage | Cynical | Scapegoat | Gothic Subculture | True Crime

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 28 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Jacobo Arbenz	...	Himself, President of Guatemala (archive footage) (as President Arbenz)
Mike Bradley	...	Himself, Mayor of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Arthur A. Busch	...	Himself, County prosecutor, Flint, Michigan (as Arthur Busch)
George Bush	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Bush)
George W. Bush	...	Himself, President of the United States (archive footage)
Michael Caldwell	...	Himself, police detective
Richard Castaldo	...	Himself, Columbine victim
Dick Clark	...	Himself, restaurant owner
Steve Davis	...	Himself, deputy sheriff (archive footage)
Byron Dorgan	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mike Epstein	...	Shopper in Mall
Joe Farmer	...	Himself, superintendent of schools (archive footage)
Mike Fasolo	...	Corporate Criminal (DVD only) (archive footage)
Denny Fennell	...	Himself, home security consultant
Barry Glassner	...	Himself, author of "The Culture of Fear" (as Prof. Barry Glassner)
John Harris	...	Himself (voice)
Dick Herlan	...	Himself (as Richard Herlan)
Charlton Heston	...	Himself, actor / NRA president
Jeremy Hicks	...	Himself, suspended student for wearing kilts (archive footage)
Ernest F. Hollings	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Senator Fritz Hollings)
Jimmie Hughes	...	Herself, principal of Buell Elementary School
Dick Hurlin	...	Himself, former producer of "Cops"
Amanda Lamante	...	Herself, Columbine student
Mary Lorenz	...	Herself, K-Mart official
Marilyn Manson	...	Himself, entertainer
Daniel Mauser	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tom Mauser	...	Himself, father of victim
Evan McCollum	...	Himself, Lockheed Martin public relations
Timothy McVeigh	...	Himself, Oklahoma City bomber (archive footage)
Carey McWilliams	...	Himself, blind gun owner (archive footage)
Gerald Miller	...	Himself, Welfare-to-Work creator (archive footage)
Michael Moore	...	Himself / Narrator
Mohammed Mossadegh	...	Himself, Prime Minister of Iran (archive footage) (as Prime Minister Mossadeq)
Dinh Diem Ngo	...	Himself, President of South Vietnam (archive footage) (as President Diem)
James Nichols	...	Himself, brother of Terry Nichols
Terry Nichols	...	Himself, Oklahoma City bombing accomplice (archive footage)
Manuel Noriega	...	Himself, President of Panama (archive footage)
Tamarla Owens	...	Herself, mother of boy who shot girl (archive footage)
Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi	...	Himself, Shah of Iran (archive footage)
Robert J. Pickell	...	Himself, sheriff of Flint, Michigan (as Sheriff Robert Pickell)
Augusto Pinochet	...	Himself, Chilean dictator (archive footage)
Jeff Rossen	...	Himself, FOX reporter (archive footage)
David Satcher	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Dr. David Satcher)
Nicole Schlief	...	Herself
David Smith	...	Himself, Sarah's husband (voice) (archive footage)
Susan Smith	...	Herself, child murderess (archive footage)
Matt Stone	...	Himself, former Columbine student
Mark Taylor	...	Himself, Columbine victim

Also Known As:

Bowling à Columbine (Canada: French title)
Bowling for Columbine (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violent images and language.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

Canada | USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:12 | Italy:T | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating on appeal) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:12 | Israel:PG | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #39324) | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA

Company:

Alliance Atlantis Communications

Trivia:

After two years of trying to get an interview with Charlton Heston, Michael Moore was going to give up. Showing up at Heston's house was totally spontaneous - on the way to the airport, a staff member suggested that they find his house using a star map.

Quotes:

John Nichols: There's a lot of wackos out there.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 50 Greatest Documentaries (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Fight Song

overall, he makes a fair point

Whatever you may throw at Michael Moore's methods, there are some points made in the film that are valid.

FACT: The United States has a gun-related homicide rate that is totally disproportionate to its population when compared to every other country in the world.

By the end of the film, however, Mr. Moore has already discounted the ownership of guns as a cause, and the blame lies firmly at the feet of the selective and sensationalist media.

By far the most insightful comments in the film are made by Marilyn Manson - namely that there are certain businesses and politicians in the United States that capitalise on on fear.

I don't see this as an anti-gun film, but more an observation of a country that is so completely gripped by fear, that it is spiraling downwards into deep and dangerous paranoia. That this fear is driven by certain forces for profit is sickening and it needs to be uncovered.

When I see so-called 'gun nuts' or apparent racists being interviewed, I feel nothing but pity for them. Their views have been formed by nothing less than the media saturation they are exposed to on a daily basis.

I guess these things are far more apparent to those of us who live outside the USA and witness the continual aggressive acts it perpetrates upon countries that are far too small and weak to defend themselves.

Watch this America, then "South Park, the Movie" and after that take a good long look in the mirror.

10/10