Where to Invade Next Review
By David Kempler
Where Our Energy Should Be Going
When I heard that Michael Moore's next film was titled "Where to Invade Next", I assumed it would be an indictment of United States foreign policy and an attack on the right-wing of American politics. Not this time. Moore's films are usually funny and angry. This one is funny, but more exasperating and sad than angry. Yet, at some level it might be his most hopeful film.
Moore isn't concerned with what America is doing. He has his sights set on what the rest of the world is doing that America isn't doing. The entire film is shot outside of the United States. It's a travelogue that takes him and us to countries in Europe and to one country in Africa. In each country he interviews people and they chat about a particular segment of their lives.
In Italy, the conversation concerns the working life of Italians and how it contrasts to working in America. In France, it's about the meals served to children in school and how it differs from the way it's done in America. By the time Moore is done with his comparisons, you'll be left wondering if America has made a couple of mistakes in how they run various parts of life.
His conclusion is that the notion of American exceptionalism isn't exactly accurate, and it's difficult to disagree with him. Yet, none of this is presented through anger at those running the show here. It's more wistful and confused, and he wonders why we do what we do.
The problem with "Where to Invade Next" is a problem that exists with all of his films. Liberals will go see it and nod in agreement. Conservatives won't see it at all. However, this film isn't as overtly political as most of Moore's films. It's pointing out that American ideas are flourishing outside of America while they have been abandoned within America. He wants us to see that perhaps we have strayed from caring about our own quality of life and the ideals that both liberals and conservatives share.
Usually, Moore appearing in his films adds to the enjoyment and amusement. Here, he appears to be a bit uncomfortable and his dialog feels forced. It disturbs the flow and makes it choppy. That's a shame, because the message is important and more universal in a political sense. It's hard to imagine anyone not wanting their quality of life to take a turn for the better, but Moore has become so polarizing that I'm sure knee-jerk reactions would still prevail. If you usually agree with him, you still will. If you don't you'll never see it, anyway.
