Rating: 
Summary: Typical Factless Nonsense
Review: Why not called this movie instead "The Unions Killed Flint, Michigan"? Moore implies that the Flint plant was the best in class. If the plant was so good then why did GM close it? To move the production somewhere that they could produce for a better price? Exactly. Isn't that what capitalism is? Truth is that this plant and many other industrial outfits in America became bloated and expensive because of terribly inefficient union operations. Aren't companies in business to sell products? When they sell more they continue to employ more people otherwise they go under. Do you realize that only 2 of the original 30 Dow Jones companies still exists? These things don't last unless the companies make tough decisions. You always have to get cheaper or the competition kills you. Actually haven't the Germans and Japanese pretty much eaten our lunch in the auto market anyway? I'm sure it would be smarter to continue to make even worse, more expensive cars. That'll put the U.S. back on top in autos. Put blame where it really lies. No one wins when a huge corporation languishes and falls further behind. Would you rather lose some jobs to Mexico or lose 500,000 jobs altogether (yeah, half a million employees). I love the argument that GM had "record profits". Don't most companies have "record profits" every year? You grow 1% - isn't that 1% better than last year and therefore a "record"... yeah, it's a terrible year to grow just 1% but it's still a "record". Most companies grow over time. If they don't they have to lay people off to stay competitive. It is incumbent upon you and I to keep ourselves ready for the job market because we could be ditched at any time, just like we can ditch our company at any time. Has to be that way.Moore, like most of you, knows nothing about economics. And is it surprising that Roger Smith never meets him? Trust me, this guy is so busy he has no time to make an appearance for this little meaningless film which amounts to little more than a smear campaign. If he took the time to meet him, what critical issues would he be missing. Can you even imagine the demands on a guy at this level? Doubtful that you can.
Rating: 
Summary: Flintstoning: the Fall of GM and a Community
Review: We will express our support for universal human rights and, particularly, those of our employees,the communities within which we operate, and parties with whom we do business. --Excerpt from GM's Core Values & Guiding Principles Michael Moore's Roger and Me is the tragic satire of the dismantling of the middle class, blue-collar community in Flint, Michigan. This documentary focuses on the closing of the town's largest employer-General Motors-resulting in the loss of over 30,000 jobs and the destruction of Flint's economic culture. The film is a litmus to the bitter realities of "business gone bad"-or worse...gone bureaucratic. GM was more than an industrial leader to its employees-it was the cornerstone of life in Flint-an industrial Mecca. Employees believed in the vision of GM, lived the industry's values and devoted their careers to its existence. Those who lost their jobs during the plant closing in the 1980s also lost self-identity, self-respect and integrity for their personal lives. Terminated GM workers were forced to find any means to make a living: Amway franchises, lint roller factory work, plasma donations, prison guards, Taco Bell line cooks (where most GM workers were terminated because "line work was too fast and stressful"). One woman morbidly resorts to selling rabbits for pets or meat. As Money Magazine dubs Flint "The Worst Place to Live in America," the film is threaded with daily evictions of families who cannot make rent, and the never-ending search for Roger Smith-Chairman of General Motors-as well as an overdue explanation of why GM disenchanted its employees. From Pat Boone to the Hyatt to Miss America to Auto World, no one could save Flint from its demise. According to a GM spokesperson,"GM has not promised and does not owe employees cradle-to-grave security." Ironically, its guiding principles state something completely different.
Rating:
Summary: Coarse and uninformative - Social Development 101?
Review: Although I admire Moore for successfully doing something about what the rest of us just read in the papers, this doc hammered in the same point over and over again, and it hammered hard - by the end of it I was numb. If you don't live in the States, this is a dangerous vehicle for thinking that all Americans are unreliable, insincere, selfish and stupid. This issue is more complex than "if you lay off workers you're an evil man". Yes, corporate capitalism isn't ethical, but Moore offers no history, explanation, dissection, comparison, or suggestions; all he does is show pictures of rich people next to poor people. Maybe it's "Social Development 101", just a wake-up call, and the analysis and suggestions for improvement can come later. The final sequence was very touching - the head honcho of GM making a pretty and utterly insincere Christmas speech about how wonderful the world is, intercut with scenes of a family in the same town being thrown out of their house. But if you're genuinely interested in finding out more about this kind of subject, buy a book.
Rating: 
Summary: I should have expected this from him.
Review: I had to say I was biased going into the viewing of this film. The first Michael Moore documentary that I ever saw was "Farenheit 9/11" and even though I don't consider myself conservative by any means, I didn't enjoy it. The next Michael Moore film I saw was "Bowling for Columbine" and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Walking into the screening of "Roger & Me", I didn't know whether I would enjoy the film or hate it completely. Well, I didn't hate it or like it. I don't like films/documentaries that are made from just one viewpoint. I like debate and I like hearing different sides of the story before I can make up my mind on something. Although Moore's views on General Motors did show me how disgusting the world of capitalism can be, the movie would have been better if General Motors had decided to show their face and stand up for themselves. Moore also spends the whole movie only focusing on Flint, while other companies have driven the neighborhoods that they thrive in into a state of filth. It happens all around the country, even in our own backyards. I grew up near the town of Lackawanna, who had depended on the steel industry for most of it's existence. When the steel industry was gone, Lackawanna lost almost all of it's tax bracket. Whether or not General Motors ever leaving Flint would be bad for it, Moore shouldn't criticize the politicians there for trying to make the best out of a horrible situation. He should applaud them for giving trying to bring in tourism and bringing them another reason to thrive, not laugh at their ideas, even if they aren't that great. When Moore starts presenting both sides of a story, I'll start watching is movies again. Until then, I think "Roger & Me" is the last one I'll watch.
Rating:
Summary: A valient try for a lost cause.
Review: The muckraking Michael Moore sets off for an explanation of the closing of Flint's GM plants, using his no holds bar tactics we've grown accustomed to. Given it's his film Moore is able to portray the downfall of his hometown of Flint, MI in a manner that seems it's all due to GM's plant closings there. Now given that is a significant aspect of its downfall, it is made to seem it is the only reason. Moore has a personal vandetta in this as GM paid his family's bills as he grew up.
I don't totally agree with what Moore is trying to accomplish in this film. Aside from making GM and some others look stupid the film just draws some sympathy. The bottom line is GM is in to make money, if that means moving plants to Mexico so be it. That's capitalism at its most basic. Also Moore plays with the timeline of events deceiving the viewer, in a sense.
Now to defend Moore, being a fan of his, I understand why he made the film from his point of view. He is very convincing in getting his point across and the film was very well made. I feel the first time viewer of this film should do a bit of their own research before viewing it, to understand both sides of the story. Bottom line: a good film to see, but make sure you don't take it at face value.
Rating: 
Summary: Roger and Me. Or "Me" at least.
Review: Roger and Me is the predecessor to Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11. The central theme of the movie is Moore's attempts to lure GM executive Roger Smith to Moore's hometown of Flint, Michigan to observe the result of GM's various plant closings on the community.
Moore's journey takes us into the lives of those in Flint as they are evicted from their homes, or find creative ways to supplement their income. It is through the window of these people that we see the destruction caused by the exodus of GM from the city. In other areas, however, Moore is his usual obnoxious self, placing himself in impossible situations, and subjecting his victims to scruntiny when his miracle connection fails to happen.
Moore successfully brings the viewer into the plight of the Flint citizen, even though viewers may question the validity of his tactics in tracking down Roger Smith. If you're a fan of other Moore films, you will certainly enjoy this offering.
Rating:
Summary: Roger and Me
Review: Centered around the closing of the lifeblood of Flint, Michigan, its GM plant, Moore's controversial documentary hits home for a lot of points. While chasing GM chair Roger Smith, Moore records the devastating unemployment that results from the closing of the plant.
Normally, Moore stirs feelings of "Stop being on my side! You make my side look bad!" This time, however, I feel he hits the target. The devastation of unemployment he gets on tape, the horrible conditions some are forced to live in (including one woman who is forced to live off an income gained by selling rabbits for pets or food), and the increasing apathy of the GM corporation boils the blood and makes one wonder why justice is not served.
However, I was a bit put off by Moore's tactics of trying to hunt down Roger Smith. I can understand why he would feel the need to resort to such tactics as posing as a GM shareholder to get into the shareholders meeting, but I feel that his deception is inherently contradictory to the deception he is trying to unravel.
In short, this is a worthwhile film. It has good and bad points, but if one is willing to open the mind to new possibilities, it is easy to see why this film is worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: His first, and maybe strongest...
Review: Michael Moore, before he was as widely known as today, decided to make a movie about his hometown of Flint. At the time, thousands of people had been laid off by GM as plants closed all over Flint. Yet the higher ups of GM, including former head chairman Roger Smith, were making massive profits. So Michael Moore, with the inaugural usage of his in-your-face tactics, decided he needed to find Roger Smith and show him what was happening to Flint.
Now, the movie is merely based on the idea of finding Roger, because much of the time is spent meeting local people, whether that be the Sheriff deputy who has to evict many of the people who formerly worked for GM, or whether it be the laid off workers themselves.
Even considering how this was Michael Moore's first film it still has visual quality, even with low budget editing. However, one must remember that the focus is the story itself, a story that was worth telling.
Even now, though this story is old, it is still a great film to check out. Simply put, times may change but layoffs linger.
(Oh, and don't forget this is Moore's first film, so it is extra valuable for the Michael Moore fans out there. But they probably already know that.)
Rating:
Summary: Still sensing his ground
Review: Since this was his breakthrough, we can clearly see that this is not a great documentary. Some of the points Moore try to make the viewer swallow are never clear. for example, the scene with the lady killing the rabbit by apllying blows in its head. What for?
I did not enjoy this movie. It shows people getting ousted of their houses by judiciary orders, and shows their poor and indefense children. Come on, it's not GM's fault (or anybody's fault in the whole world!!!) that underpaid people have more children than they can take care of. Like Fred Ross (the guy who appears in the film and that applies the court decisions, you don't need help to be a poor man!
Other than this, the title is a swindle. Moore never gets to have an interview with Roger Smith (GM's CEO), only a brief exchange of words in some convention.
I disliked the movie, not because it shows "Bad America" (a fact all his movies deal about), but because I think it's not on the same level of BOWLING AT COLUMBINE or FAHRENHEIT 9/11.
Rating:
Summary: Job Outsourcing
Review: This documentary was made in 1988-1989 by Michael Moore with the ending approximately three years after 1988. It was the documentary that made him somewhat famous you can say. Anyway, this film details the closing of a General Motors factory and 30,000 people being laid off. With this many people being out of a job, Flint becomes a city with a high crime rate, high numbers of eviction notices, people moving out of Flint, and a lot of people getting on welfare. Moore has many interviews with people who discuss the positive side of outsourcing such as Bob Eubanks, some other famous Flint personalities, Miss Michigan, a GM lobbyist and many other people.
Whether you agree that a corporation should or should not outsource, both sides are shown. In news media though, the devastating eviction notices and other things are never shown with such clarity and emotion. When a chairman of a huge company such as GM does donate money or do anything philanthropic, they make sure there are plenty of press and PR people around.
Moore tries throughout this whole movie - over a course of three years to speak with Roger Smith, the chairman of GM. One time he comes close during a shareholder's meeting but I don't want to ruin that part for you.
There is so much that happens in this documentary. Flint tries to survive by becoming a tourist place, a new prison is open where rich people have a sleep over?!? Even though it is 2004, I believe that this movie was very well made for its time and even currently, has wonderful emotion and is a great documentary.
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