Official Movie Website Theatrical Release 06/29/07 Home Video 11/06/07 MPAA Rating Rated PG-13 for brief strong language Running Time 1 hour 54 minutes Genre Documentary Director Michael Moore Writer Michael Moore Cast JMichael Moore Studio The Weinstein Company |
SICKO
SYNOPSIS
The words “health care” and “comedy” aren’t
usually found in the same sentence, but in Academy
Award winning filmmaker Michael Moore’s new
movie SiCKO, they go together hand in (rubber) glove.
Opening with profiles of several ordinary Americans
whose lives have been disrupted, shattered, and—in
some cases—ended by health care catastrophe, the
film makes clear that the crisis doesn’t only affect
the 47 million uninsured citizens—millions of others
who dutifully pay their premiums often get strangled
by bureaucratic red tape as well.
After detailing just how the system got into such a
mess (the short answer: profits and Nixon), we are
whisked around the world, visiting countries
including Canada, Great Britain and France, where
all citizens receive free medical benefits. Finally,
Moore gathers a group of 9/11 heroes – rescue
workers now suffering from debilitating illnesses
who have been denied medical attention in the US.
He takes them to a most expected place, and in
addition to finally receiving care, they also engage in
some unexpected diplomacy.
The words “health care” and “comedy” aren’t
usually found in the same sentence, but in Academy
Award winning filmmaker Michael Moore’s new
movie SiCKO, they go together hand in (rubber) glove.
Opening with profiles of several ordinary Americans
whose lives have been disrupted, shattered, and—in
some cases—ended by health care catastrophe, the
film makes clear that the crisis doesn’t only affect
the 47 million uninsured citizens—millions of others
who dutifully pay their premiums often get strangled
by bureaucratic red tape as well.
After detailing just how the system got into such a
mess (the short answer: profits and Nixon), we are
whisked around the world, visiting countries
including Canada, Great Britain and France, where
all citizens receive free medical benefits. Finally,
Moore gathers a group of 9/11 heroes – rescue
workers now suffering from debilitating illnesses
who have been denied medical attention in the US.
He takes them to a most expected place, and in
addition to finally receiving care, they also engage in
some unexpected diplomacy.
© 2003 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
| ST. LOUIS MOVIE REVIEW WEEKLY |
While Moore’s SiCKO follows the trailblazing path of previous hit films, the Oscar-winning BOWLING FOR
COLUMBINE and all-time box-office documentary champ FAHRENHEIT 9/11, it is also something very
different for Michael Moore. SiCKO is a straight-from-the-heart portrait of the crazy and sometimes
cruel U.S. health care system, told from the vantage of everyday people faced with extraordinary and
bizarre challenges in their quest for basic health coverage.
In the tradition of Mark Twain or Will Rogers, SiCKO uses humor to tell these compelling stories, leading
the audience conclude that an alternative system is the only possible answer. --©The Weinstein
Company
COLUMBINE and all-time box-office documentary champ FAHRENHEIT 9/11, it is also something very
different for Michael Moore. SiCKO is a straight-from-the-heart portrait of the crazy and sometimes
cruel U.S. health care system, told from the vantage of everyday people faced with extraordinary and
bizarre challenges in their quest for basic health coverage.
In the tradition of Mark Twain or Will Rogers, SiCKO uses humor to tell these compelling stories, leading
the audience conclude that an alternative system is the only possible answer. --©The Weinstein
Company