Doc Corner: Michael Moore Goes to 'Trumpland'

Michael Moore in Trumpland is a misnomer of a title. For despite the comically scored pro-Trump vox pop interviews that open the film, and despite the smattering of apparent Trump supporters through the audience, Michael Moore’s has found himself the most liberal of audiences one could hope. “Around here, I ain’t heard nobody for Clinton” says one unidentified woman, but if that were the case then the crowd Moore has amassed are easily swayed because by the end of this brief 70-minute mix of stand-up, pre-filmed comedy sketches, call and response, and personal recollections in monologue, the entire crowd is cheering and whooping for Hillary.

Moore’s ninth as director was a surprise announcement recently, sprung upon a public no doubt already weary of politics. Recorded over two nights in Wilmington Ohio, the opening passages try valiantly to suggest there are real Trump supporters in the house, but they soon vanish, thus erasing the friction that ought to have given the movie its edge.

Somewhat surprisingly, despite the atypical nature of the film among Moore’s filmography, this feature does a great job of highlighting the filmmaker’s strengths and weaknesses more clearly than any of his more traditional documentaries. For when Moore engages in deeply passionate speech, he is as captivating as ever. But when indulging in his comedic side, his work feels dated and lacks edge (laughing at his own jokes doesn’t help). In the years since The Awful Truth, television political comedy has changed so much that many of his jokes come off as regressive rejects from a 1990s stand-up comedian who’s angling for a network sitcom with middlebrow gags about millennials, “if you don’t like gay marriage, don’t get gay married”, and just what is the difference between conservatives and liberals.

So, it does come down to those more heartfelt moments. The sincere shock of archival video from the days of The Awful Truth of Donald Trump speaking lovingly of Hillary (and Michael) in a tone that makes the Republican Presidential candidate appear sane and rational and perhaps even likable. His genuine attempt to understand the Trump voters in cities that have been decimated by the upheaval of the auto-manufacturing business. And most memorably, his angry speech about the lives that could have been saved if people had been more concerned over human lives rather than humiliating Hillary Clinton. However anecdotal – one doesn’t watch Michael Moore for thorough, unimpugnable research – there is nothing funny about this, and Moore thankfully doesn’t use it as a launching pad for one-liners.

Moore’s oft-spoken about concept that documentaries should be an entertaining night out is hardly an unworthy one. But watching him pander with “Bye Felicia” jokes and lame dead-end sight gags about the Mexico wall and Middle East drones is tiresome when we can see just how effective he can still be with just his words and his passion. Where to Invade Next was undoubtedly the nadir of Moore’s directorial career, but there are sparks in Michael Moore in Trumpland that, if he’s smart, he will recognize and wisely capitalize upon. Maybe if he took that anger and that passion into actual Trumpland then this could have been something more.

Release: It's one-week theatrical release is now over, but it is out now on iTunes. According to Forbes "For those outside of North America, the film will air on October 30 in the UK (Channel 4), Australia (Ten Network), Netherlands (VPRO), New Zealand (TVNZ), Denmark (TV2), Sweden (SVT), Finland (Nelonen), Norway (NRK) and Iceland (365)."

Oscar Chances: Not a hope.

Comments

[DJDeeJay]

That indulgence in his humor is exactly what turned me off from Where to Invade Next. The second I saw the tag on the trailer where he's spouting gibberish to the table full of kids...and it just goes on and on like it's some great bit...I was like, "nope, not watching that one."