Where to Invade Next (2016)

Review

120min

Genre:      Documentary

Director:   Michael Moore

Cast:        Michael Moore, Krista Kiuru, Tim Walker…and more

Country:   USA

-Synopsis-

Irrepressible American documentarian and film-activist Michael Moore takes a slightly more optimistic than usual satirical look at the world, as he “invades” a bunch of foreign nations to see what he can take back to the good ol’ USA that might steer it back to the path of its founding principles… and actually make it better.

Over almost 20 years of documentaries like ‘Roger & Me’, ‘Bowling for Columbine’ and ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’, Michael Moore has become one of the loudest and most scathing voices against the corporatisation and militarisation of the USA, not to mention one of its leading social satirists.

Celebrated by the left, reviled by the right and splitting opinion in the middle over his unapologetically partisan style which nevertheless produces informative and angering exposés; in ‘Where to Invade Next’ Moore has produced a charming if slightly fanciful new-American social manifesto, and arguably his most optimistic global socio/political satire to date.

In trademark and often criticized self-focused styled; Moore directs, narrates and stars in a sort of whimsical and often head-scratching global sociology lesson for Americans, travelling across mostly Europe and playfully “invading” countries to take ideas for a fairer and more equal society back to the USA.

From Italy’s healthy work/life balance and France’s superior nutrition, to Finnish education and Danish prison systems, and many countries in between; Moore presents his vision of an alternative way to Americans which is not wholly focused on the accumulation of wealth. All while painting a damning picture for the rest of the world of how most Americans really live and how far they’ve strayed from the “American Dream”.

Unlike ‘Bowling for Columbine’ which narrowly focuses on one tragedy to depict a dysfunctional society, or ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ which looks at national corruption and opportunism through the lens of a global disaster; ‘Where to Invade Next’ takes a broader look at the many facets of an exploited society. Moore still rages against the establishment but in a more playful and amusing way, while trying to penetrate the haze of “patriotism” and scepticism to show Americans another path.

The criticism levelled at the simplicity of Moore’s assertions and propositions is valid; ‘Where to Invade Next’  is optimistic to the point of naivety, ignoring the complexities of applying social and economic models from often evolved homogenised societies to a culturally complex and demographically divided “teenager” of a country such as the US. Not to mention of course the glossing over the complexities of American politics and the US position within global geopolitics, as well as the many social and economic issues in these “target” countries.

However Moore makes it clear from the start that he’s there to “pick the flowers not the weeds” and he’s up-front about the fanciful optimism of the whole endeavour.

But as he eloquently puts across standing next to the remains of the Berlin wall, which no one at the height of the cold war thought would ever come down and which Moore himself saw destroyed in 1989, no one ever thinks things can change until someone tries. That’s the main thing to take from ‘Where to Invade Next’, just because things have been a certain way for time immemorial, doesn’t mean they can’t change.

The Bottom Line…

Despite a style and ideology which is bound to divide opinion in an already fractured society; Michael Moore’s vision for an alternative American way is his funniest and most optimistic, if not captivating piece of work to date. We can’t think of a more entertaining or thought provoking 2 hour sociology lesson, regardless of the realities of applying it.

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Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

Set in the backdrop of 1999’s Colorado high-school mass-shooting massacre, Michael Moore takes an unflinching, amusing and entertaining but troubling look at America’s Gun culture.

Directed by Michael Moore and starring Michael Moore, Charlton Heston and Marilyn Manson among others.

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