Sell Out

So, last night I made it to the theater an hour and a half before 911 starts and there's already a line a 100 yards long. The crowd was relatively quiet, though I heard the guy in front of me mutter "damn liberals" when a woman (in a John Kerry t-shirt) who was registering voters mentioned that none of the 135 people she had signed-up that day had registered Republican.

After paying more than I ever had for a movie ($10), purchasing the ticket 3 hours in advance, and waiting an hour and a half in line, I still had to sit through at least a half-hour of commercials. Remind me again why? Oh that's right, because they can. When theater owners start crying again about declining attendance, their crocodile tears won't win sympathy with this viewer.

As for the movie itself, I was bored through most of it. It was mostly stuff I already knew. From where I sat, Mr. Moore didn't go far enough. I wanted more facts, more specifics about what was hidden from us. At one point Mr. Moore compares two versions of President Bush's military record, pointing out information in the first (regarding connections to Saudi Arabia) which was blocked out in the second version. That's the kind of stuff I wanted to see more of. Also, while much time was spent on the special consideration given to Saudis in general, and the Bin Laden family specifically, I wish he would have pinned down the people actually responsible for the things he talked about. Who exactly ordered the FAA to allow the Bin Ladens to leave the country after 9/11 (when all other planes were grounded)? If that question was answered, I didn't hear it. That said, Mr. Moore does a terrific job when he asks "Just imagine what would have happened to President Clinton if he allowed the McVie family to flee the country immediately after the Oklahoma City bombing."

But, while it was all old news for me, it did seem to resonate with the audience. There was much whooping and hollering at the end of the film, with at least a couple of people giving it a standing ovation. Only one (very vocal) viewer expressed any displeasure, with a loud "Boooo". Still, I can't help but wonder if the film changed anybody's mind. Then again, judging from the reaction, their minds may not need to be changed.