Movie Review: "Sicko"

So great it’s sad.

Directed by Michael Moore.

The film begins with a poke at “W.” The Prez stands at a podium and declares that doctors are leaving America and that OB-GYN’s aren’t able to give their love to their female patients. True statesman, say true.

I began watching the movie with some amount of skepticism. I wanted to find something wrong with the argument Moore unfolded onto the screen. I don’t know why; I just wanted to view the movie as much objectivity as I could. Midway through the movie, I found myself caught-up in what was going on, and realizing that his argument was more than correct.

Moore takes a small step away from the subject matter, letting the viewer see his viewpoint before inserting himself (as he has before). This worked incredibly well and to his advantage. No looks of “awe” from him; just a camera bringing the audience face-to-face with the subjects.

What is Moore’s argument? That the current healthcare system needs change, if not dissolution. It’s not socialism nor should it be considered rocket science. If the fact that the government and the corporations are working together to keep people denied from healthcare doesn’t sound appalling to you, look yourself in the mirror and ask, “Who am I?” When did compassion become a weakness?

We are presented several cases: the guy who had to choose which finger (the $12,000 or the $60,000) that the tip could be reattached. A woman who had been a newspaper editor and her husband whose medical bills became so high they had to sell their home of 30 years and move in with their daughter into a cramped storage room in the house. The infamous 9/11 volunteers who, since they only volunteered and were not on a government payroll, were denied coverage on their ensuing health issues. So on and so forth.

Moore tackles these issues very directly, but instills his humor to drive home his points. He uncovers the truths behind “universal healthcare”. He gets turned away from Guantanamo Bay for seeking their free healthcare (supposedly it’s better than the HMOs). In England the doctors are paid by the government to make people healthier. Traveling to France, he finds that the government pays not only for medicine but college and having someone to do your laundry. Darn those French…

The crux of it all comes when some of the interviewees go with him to Cuba for their free healthcare. A woman who was at Ground Zero doing volunteer EMT work gets inhalers for 5 cents a piece; her healthcare provider in the U.S. charges her $120 per inhaler. The interviewees are consulted, X-rayed, and sent out in the hopes they’ll get better. The 9/11 workers even visit a fire station and are greeted by Cuban firemen offering their thanks. All this from a third-world country…

Before anyone bashes Moore, citing that his movies only serve his agenda, I implore you to actually watch a documentary movie. “Who Killed the Electric Car?” “Why We Fight” and even “Super Size Me” are great ones. Don’t bash something just because you fail to want to understand it.

Overall, I was happy with the film. It’s one of his best documentaries since, “Bowling For Columbine.”

My grade: A. If you pay money to see any movie this summer, see this one.