Roger & Me

Moore's hilarious, scathing film traces the decline of his home town of Flint, Michigan, after General Motors systematically closed down plants and laid off thousands of workers. The action spans three years as Moore (camera team in tow) tracks GM chairman Roger Smith in order to confront him with the human consequences of corporate policy. Interspersed are Moore's narrative, outlining the changes which beset the town, and on-camera interviews with assorted locals, celebrities and executives. Chronology has been jumbled, resulting in controversy over this 'documentary'. Moore terms it a 'docucomedy', a political sketch rather than a measured analysis, deploying humour and exaggeration to make its point. It's only right that Moore should be accountable to standards of journalistic 'truthfulness'; but ultimately, remaining constant at the heart of his film, is the way it tellingly and ruthlessly presents the cumulative effects of industrial ruthlessness.