After the Bush-whacking of Fahrenheit 911, Michael Moore turned up the heat on the 2004 Presidential election with a shadow campaign to oust his nemesis. This roadshow doc follows his 60-city tour of 20 battleground states, getting the apathetic to the ballot by means fair (marshalling students) or foul (by bribing them with free underwear). Music guest stars help beat the drum.
So far, so good, and the polemic’s as potent as ever — the problem here is Moore’s playing preacher and the switch from activist to evangelist results in a backslapping spectacle of fan-hugging and rousing rallies that dilutes the big message. Voting is important — but not, you sense, quite as important as Being Michael Moore, and the lasting impression is of a bloated vanity project masquerading as a protest picture.