Sicko (2007)

How sad is this?

Good concept, poorly executed.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It amazes me how f**k up the American system is. People say that the biggest threat to the American citizens six the terrorist, the drug wars, and gangs, when in reality the greatest threat to the people are our own Insurance companies. I mean my god, Health Insurance companies kill more people than any terrorist, and all the sh*t we've heard about how awful socialist health care is is all total bullshit. My jaw dropped when I found out that you can go to a hospital in Canada and or France for free. When they said the French government offers maids to parents, I laughed my a** off because it seemed so absurd to me, but it was true. Obviously, taxes are a nightmare in socialist countries, but if it means not having to choose between drowning in debt or saving your child's life then by all means tax me! I can very easily relate to this movie because I've lost five family members on both my mom's and dad's side because of their crappy insurance companies. My grandma had breast cancer and diabetes, but because those diseases were hereditary she was denied coverage for her medication and died a horrible and painful death at age 60. My 20-year-old aunt went deaf at 12 because she contracted an ear infection and she was denied money needed to get the an implant required to fix her ears, but her health insurance declined coverage because they said the implants were experimental. I've lost so many loved ones because of the damn insurance company, and of course, no one gave a sh*t because not only were they poor but also black. I know people like to pretend that the health departed doesn't discriminate, but they do so just accept the truth. We're not free; we're a country where money rules and if you don't have that you might as well buy a gun and shoot yourself. I'm afraid to drive my car because what if I get in an accident, because at fault and end up bankrupt and be thrown out of a hospital while dying of cancer. All I can say is 6 years from now I'm kissing America goodbye.

Michael Moore does the best job at exposing the American government for its huge flaws and failures. So why make a movie about health care? Where to start. The American health care system is a gigantic abuse of American greed, where insurance companies dictate the health of millions of Americans and only a small percentage of people can see a doctor without worrying about their finances. Moore takes a look at countries all over Europe where health care is free of charge, and a complex tax system pays for not only health care, but education and paid family leave at a brilliant and cost affective rate. Why the hell can't we do that? This is America. Moore calls out the horrible economic differences that are not present throughout the rest of the modern world, brining moral questions about how our health care and economic system affects millions of people daily and how we need to make drastic change. Agree with him or not, Moore gives tons of evidence and interesting interviews that give a different take on health care and economics, as well as brings in some clever sarcasm to make this both another educational and entertaining documentary.

Sicko (2007) *** 1/2 (out of 4)Michael Moore sets his fire onto the American health care system in what's probably the best movie of his career. Moore interviews several Americans who have health insurance and yet they find no ease as the companies are constantly denying people in order to save their company money. One after another we hear a wide range of stories dealing with the downside of health care and this includes several people who had to die simply because the insurance companies wouldn't pay for medicine, a trip to a hospital or just some basic care. To make his point, Moore also travels to various places like Britian, Canada, France and even Cuba to show how much the government takes care of people by making sure everyone has insurance and that no one is denied no matter what. No matter what feel about Moore there's no question that this is a very good documentary taking a look at the problems with health care. Yes, as with many of his films this one here features some questionable stuff and I'd say that it also overlooks any good story about the American health system but these don't take away from anything. The main purpose is to show that the health system is a complete fraud in America and there's really no excuse for it. There's a sequence where people are thrown out of hospitals, put into cabs and dropped off simply because they don't have money. Even worse are people who helped at Ground Zero after 9/11, including firefighters and cops, who were refused medical treatment. Needless to say, this is certainly the type of documentary that is going to make you angry and it really should. Moore doesn't go on the attack as much as previous films but he does tell the human side of the stories and this is why he gets so much out of the material.

Michael Moore delivers once again, as usual, an important message which should be seen by every American. Moore travels the world for comparisons and finds much better coverage for the citizens elsewhere. In England, everyone is covered by a comprehensive system which was determined to be the right of every Brit starting shortly after World War 2. National health also works well in Canada, where as in England and France, all are covered. Here in the United States, about 50 million people are not covered. The drug and insurance companies run the system through lobbyists who write the laws. This needs to be changed. Hopefully, enough people will see Sicko to make a difference.