Taking back the country and making America great again have been slogans and talking points throughout the Obama presidency. Yet, the people clamoring for a return to American values and ideals would probably not be all that interested in Michael Moore’s ideas about how to conduct this offensive. The genius of Moore, though, rests in the notion that he really doesn’t give a shit what those people think. In Where to Invade Next, his first film in six years, he unabashedly embraces a rather old warrior trope — conquering and pillaging from vanquished foes — as the means of cobbling together elements from around the world that he believes would actually make our nation more than better. Moore wants the United States to truly live up to a set of ideals that Founding Fathers would be proud of in this modern and more enlightened age. There is a loose and somewhat haphazard approach to Moore’s journey, but he’s less concerned about any single stop along the way. His eyes are on the big-picture prize — his pursuit of the American Dream, which he now sees is “alive everywhere except in America.” This being Michael Moore, though, he’s not sad when he utters that line in the film. He doesn’t have time for resignation. What he focuses on is the opportunity that presents itself. (Opens Friday) (R) Grade: A
This article appears in Feb 10-17, 2016.