Rocky Mountain News: Pearson: Michael Moore finds profit in provocation

Rocky Mountain News: Columnists: "Whatever you may think of his politics, you have to give Michael Moore credit for keeping things interesting at the box-office.
When Fahrenheit 9/11 debuted as the No. 1 movie last weekend - the first time in history a documentary has taken that slot - it marked a shift in the moviegoing paradigm. Subtle, mind you, but proof nonetheless that the summer's not just for action-packed blockbusters.

Half of my friends saw the film last weekend, and when I arrived at work Monday, half of my colleagues were talking about it. Being members of the "liberal media," they tended to admire Moore's gutsiness, especially in this era of the Patriot Act. Would they call it objective? No one went that far, but they found it engaging and enlightening.

This was a movie I had to see.

I went to a 4:30 p.m. showing Tuesday, and to my amazement the 300-seat theater was two-thirds full. More surprising were the demographics: Housewives and elderly couples; college students and businessmen AWOL from work. A few people cried during the movie. One man shouted at the screen. But, for the most part, the mood ranged from stunned silence to laughter. At the end, the theater broke into applause."

Mike Pearson
Features Editor
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