Open-eyed Look at Fahrenheit 9/11

The New York Times > Arts > Frank Rich: Michael Moore's Candid Camera

Frank Rich has written a detailed review of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 that contrasts with many non-reviews that have been appearing in the press the last few days. (The above link may require registration, which is a simple matter; and for the time being this article also appears free-of-registration here.) There are too many non-reviews for me to provide links, but they are distinguished by two features. First, they use the word "propaganda" to describe Moore's film. Second, they show no sign that the author of the article has actually seen the film. Call me silly, but it seems to me that writing lengthy "reviews" of films that one has yet to see is the sort of thing only a writer of propaganda would willfully do. (Here is one example of such a dogmatic non-review.)

From Rich's New York Times article, I take the closing lines: "No one would ever accuse Michael Moore of having a beautiful mind. Subtleties and fine distinctions are not his thing. That matters very little, it turns out, when you have a story this ugly and this powerful to tell."