"Roger & Me"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, unlike most documentary films, Michael Moore in his film "Roger & Me" uses irony, satire, dry wit and black humor to make his point. He maintains the idea of a documentary by showing real life, which he intersperses with almost ludicrous situations and quotations by those being interviewed. The author points out that Michael Moore, the son of an autoworker, who video-taped the documentary himself, created the "plot" by which Moore attempts to bring General Motor's Chairman of the Board, Roger Smith, to Flint so that he can see firsthand the devastation to people's lives caused by the plant shutdowns. The paper relates that, although the film is biased against General Motors, the film was effective in illustrating Flint's political mentality by showing the futile attempt of the city to throw money at a problem when they haven't a clue as to what to do.

From the Paper:

"Beyond that, as Michael Moore states at the beginning of the movie, success is escaping Flint. The lack of a timeline also leaves a question in the determination of the movie's effectiveness. The movie covers several years of time and it is difficult to follow the sequence of events or the time period through which they unfolded. It should have been obvious real soon that GM was not going to reopen the plants, nor assist with any type of transfers or workplace assimilation for the workers from the assembly floor. The political structure of the city must have existed in the clouds, because they seemed to not any idea either as to what could be done. Throwing millions of dollars into a tourism market that did not exist was a waste that should have been foreseen. The opinion voiced by the affluent and the celebrities that the people should "so something" shows a complete lack of empathy for the people involved."

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