About four years ago, Michael Moore crafted another addition to his filmmaking collection to little response. The film was called Captain Mike Across America, which premiered in the Toronto International Film Festival in 2007.
The film itself is basically a documentary on Moore’s tour across America in 2004 to bring more votes out of the youth of America. He referred to his tour as “Slacker Uprising.” Now, Slacker Uprising, is the title of the newly edited version of Captain Mike Across America, which can be legally downloaded on the website for free.
The film has generated some negative response in that people believe the film to be nothing more than a self-promotion. And to an extent, I agree. But I also agree that what he did by producing this film is saying “Hey, look what a tour like this can bring about.” Kerry won the youth’s vote. People need to get out there and tell people that one vote does lead to something as long as that one vote is not standing alone. It doesn’t have to be a tour lead by Moore and it wasn’t just those auditoriums that went out and voted; it has to be someone encouraging the ‘slackers’ to go out and not only vote, but promote the vote.
Moore doesn’t only show the positive fans in his tour — that wouldn’t be a Michael Moore film. He shows legal issues he faced, he shows prayer groups praying against him, and avid Bush supporters entering auditoriums to “fight the cause.” Sometimes I am hesitant; I like Moore but it would be fair to say that he responded a little too harshly to the Bush supporters. Although, he never attacked personally or below the belt, I was just in shock of how quickly and sharp-witted he over turned their actions.
In a Larry King Live interview, King directed a question asking if Michael Moore thinks he is controversial. Moore responded: “I thought school shootings were a bad idea or […] I think it should be a right to be able to see a doctor in this country if you get sick, or […] that I had the crazy notion that there aren’t going to be any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and we were being lead down the wrong road there. What about that is controversial?”
Slacker Uprising follows that line. What about going to college campuses to get people to register to vote is controversial? However much Moore may upset the right-wing side when he says that it is necessary for the Democrats to have the majority of the White House for the next 8 years to put the US into recovery, he still covers the single most basic but important need of this election: The votes need to come.