Roger und ich

...Michael Moore should have stuck to the facts. I lived in the Detroit area (Milford, the home of the GM Proving Grounds) from the early 70's until 2002. The 80's were a rough decade for the auto industry.

Roger Smith became Chairman and CEO of GM in January, 1981. The man was an unmitigated disaster. Among some of the things he proposed was the elimination of GM's engineering division (pink slipping everyone). He didn't think that the world's largest automaker needed an in-house engineering capability. Absolutely moronic!

There were several other examples of Roger Smith's buffoonery. The viewing audience would have been better served had Mr. Moore stuck to the facts. There were several items in this film that were either staged or flat-out false (people who never worked for GM getting evicted, Pres. Reagan being quoted out of context, etc.). This is the typical tactic Mr. Moore uses in all his films.

The upshot? Mr. Moore is a gifted filmmaker and able storyteller. Unfortunately, he doesn't let the facts get in the way of the point he's trying to make. There was no shortage of material on what a moron Roger Smith was (is?). Had Mr. Moore kept with the facts, Roger & Me would not just be entertaining, it would have the added benefit of being factual.

This documentary focuses on a decision made by the CEO of General Motors, Roger B. Smith, to close several factories in Flint, Michigan and essentially lay off 30,000 workers who lived there. This decision had a catastrophic consequence for the city and to all of the people who lived there. But what I believe is even more important is that this documentary shows something that most people who embrace "free-market capitalism" don't fully appreciate and that is the difference between "stockholders" and "stakeholders". One would think a responsible corporate executive would realize that these two groups don't have to be mutually exclusive. Yet, even though this one decision was certainly bad for Flint, Michigan another aspect that people also don't see-and one that was not addressed in this video-is that this particular decision was one of many mistakes made by Roger B. Smith which eventually earned him the distinction of being named one of the "Worst American CEOs of all time" by CNBC. But I suppose in the minds of certain people since he and his buddies made millions everything is okay. Such is the mindset of the ignorant. At any rate, this was a good film and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

This movie really showed me what America's free enterprise system is about. Make your millions in producing automobiles in an American town, then run to Mexico where labor is cheap, and not offer any jobs to Americans. I loved it, very true, very deep.

I loved how Roger Smith dodged the film crews everytime they showed up. It was very good to show the effects of the plant closing shop. I never expected a true look into what happends to American workers.

I give this one 5 stars, and I realize now that our Free Enterprise System just keeps the poor, poor. And the wealthy get even more wealth. Our free enterprise system is a joke.

Michael Moore recounts his prosperous working middle class life as a child in GM company town of Flint, Michigan. Everybody worked for GM except for Michael. He leaves his small paper he created to go to San Francisco. It doesn't go well and he returns to Flint. In 1985, GM CEO Roger Smith closes factories in Flint. Michael goes on a quest to get an interview with Roger Smith.

The criticism has centered on Michael Moore's manipulation of events in the movie. It's a valid argument if this is being measured against traditional documentaries. As a journalistic documentary, this has many flaws and possibly fatal flaws. As a reality-TV persuasion, this is a real ground breaker. While not every line is correct, the overall sentiment hits on a greater truth. Michael may portray himself as the underdog but he's a real giant.

Michael Moore is making a key point with this movie that, judging from other people's reviews, seems easy to miss. The point isn't that the people of Flint expected GM to care for them "from cradle to grave," as one reviewer put it. The point was that the working people of Flint, despite doing everything they were supposed to do, despite keeping up their end of the bargain, were destroyed by a corporation that FELT NO OBLIGATION TO EVEN EXPLAIN WHY. That's the symbolism of the attempt to interview Roger Smith and Smith's unwillingness to answer questions.

In a corporation like GM, there is no one really accountable for what the corporation does at the end of the day. The stockholders hide behind the CEO. The CEO hides behind the board of directors. The directors cite "the stockholders' will." The PR men blame "market forces" (which is a code word for greed). The union bosses double talk. And in the end, they all dump squarely on the working stiff, who always comes last in the considerations of management.

This film is NOT supposed to be a documentary. It's the facts of the situation as seen by a kid who grew up in Flint among GM workers. He feels betrayed, he feels depressed and he feels angry. That's why the film is "manipulative." It's HIS opinion! And even if it IS his opinion, that doesn't excuse the disgusting behavior of all the rich cretins and politicians in this film. Didn't they KNOW that they were on camera?! As I watched, I wondered if America is really as full of snotty, middle-management punks as this film seems to show. And why do corporate androids get so rude when a camera is around? Are they really so terrified of someone exposing them for what they are? Sheesh!

By the way: when GM closed down the Flint plants from 1987-1989, they were making one BILLION dollars in profits per year. They took jobs from Americans and gave them to foreigners despite a nice profit margin. Isn't that treason?

A good film. A-.

Some things to watch for: Sleazy Jeri-Curl eviction man, one snotty PR person after another, Michael Moore's fashion sense, Ronald Reagan looking really dumb and confused, Bob Eubanks' sense of humor, Miss Michigan's off-the-cuff brilliance, rabbit meat.