Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece
Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good
Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
xxxloroxxxx Michael Moore has always been controversial. And, as all conflictive people, you can only love him or hate him. Because of this his messages are, very often, misunderstood or simply dismissed. I will not align myself 100% with Moore politically but his message in Sicko got to me loud and clear. Some reviewers have criticized this documentary for, according to them, telling total lies or half-truths at best. Of course, we all know that the US Health System is not as bad as Michael portrays it and the systems in place in the UK, , Canada and Cuba are not as fantastic as he shows them to be. But it's only natural that Moore would carefully select the appropriate examples to make the point he's trying to get across, isn't it? I know of some examples of my own that he could have easily included in Sicko had he known about them. An Argentinian friend of mine went to Spain on vacation, suffered severe food poisoning and had to be treated at a local hospital for a day and a half. He was expecting a substantial hospital bill but when he was discharged he was told his treatment was free as Spanish Social Security pays for all health care expenses for, not just Spaniards but also, foreigners while legally in Spain. He also told me the care he received was top notch. So these things do happen, they're not a figment of Michael Moore's imagination. But let's get to the main topic of Sicko. Should health care be afforded everyone in the USA for free or not? I am no communist and I still believe it should. I cannot imagine any obligation that should be more important to any government on earth than to protect the well being of their citizens.And we have the money to pay for health care but our government chooses to use it elsewhere. I cringe when I hear how much we're spending in building yet more fighter planes, bombs or any device manufactured with the sole purpose of killing other human beings. The LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) cost $400 million apiece and 114 were built thru 1998 alone. Each F-177 stealth fighter comes at $111.2 million each and they were all retired in 2008. The bigger stealth bomber (Northrop Grumman B-2) came with a price tag of $737 million per unit and $44.6 billion total program cost thru 2004. We built all these weapons, spent fortunes and never got to use but a few of the planes in Iraq. We threw away billions of dollars while people at home could not pay for health services as they were losing their homes. We're still building weapons we don't really need just because of the scare tactics and lobbying by Northrop Grumman, Boeing and the likes. The USA is already, by far, the most heavily armed military in the world and their latest budget is higher than the combined budgets of the eight nations that follow us. And Congress actually believes it's better to spend an additional 2 trillion in 2014 than to pursue health care reform!If we used this money to take care of our poor and specially our sick....I believe we'd be a much better country. Quite frankly, I very much prefer my tax dollars be used for taking care of our people than to ensure we're more capable of killing others abroad.That's Michael Moore's message in Sicko and I, for one, wholeheartedly have to agree. Don't let whatever personal dislike, or even hatred, you may have for the guy obscure this simple fact. Moore may be a Marxist, a reactionary or whatever you choose to label him but...on this particular occasion he's totally right!!!! Let's get our priorities straight...
wild-cat This movie is obnoxious. It is blatantly attempting to dumb down the health care systems of a few countries to the degree that the average American is supposed to understand. Some of the things covered in the film are accurate, others are partial truths at best, however they are presented as absolute fact. The pathetic pandering to the emotions of those foolish enough to believe everything Moore presents is frustrating. This is NOT anything I could recommend that someone watch, even to begin understanding health care systems. This is presented as a documentary but is frustratingly far from accurate. For those who cannot be bothered to research these systems on their own this is believable. I even agree with some of the premise (in of health care being a fundamental human need that a modern and economically stable country should provide their people). Moore then stoops to where he is comfortable, making it an emotional plea without putting much actual concrete fact into the production. He spent more time on annoying music, needlessly dramatizing certain areas he wished to highlight, than he did with actual comparisons.
Michael_Elliott 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, 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.
hung_fao_tweeze After watching this movie I became 'sicko'. The realization that people would do this to each other and find it easy to side-step responsibility by blaming a nebulous 'system' only highlights the fact that each and every single unconscionable action really boils down to what an individual would be willing to turn a blind eye to. Capitalism usurping the Christian values we here so much about. So, if you accept this movie's allusions as factual, then this nation should be ashamed. My knee-jerk reaction was to book the first flight out of this country. And yet, I believe Michael Moore continues to claim his citizenship. Thus, I have a quandary to deal with. If you have to rate a movie on the overall impact it will have on you, then it should be rated very high. It sticks to you and you will continue to dwell long after viewing. If ranked on factuality??? Well, the facts are there - those that serve the political agenda of the movie and its maker. What I didn't see is any real confrontation. Moore was willing to get into the corporation's face in 'Roger And Me'. Considering that the 'heartless' corporation that was cabbing sick people and dumping them on the street was just down the block, and Moore didn't even try to take his case to their door makes me scratch my head and wonder why not? I felt that Moore missed some opportunities here - and others. But then I am watching an old 'House' episode where a man is losing his home because of the bill to sew back on his severed thumb. After some 'beat around the bush' dialog, Cuddy finally turns and says that if she has to take the man's house to pay the bill, she will. If that didn't send chills down my spine....because this is considered normal here - and it shouldn't be. I give this a 7 because I felt Moore could have done more.
