Bowling For Columbine

Bowling for Columbine, directed by Michael Moore, has been given numerous awards for the best documentary. For many, such as Jim Ferguson of KMSB-TV, he says, "Moore has done it again, the year's most powerful documentary. An eye opener" (Bowling for Columbine). Yes, a real eye opener to how Moore will rely on fictitious facts and his audience's sympathy towards certain events to get his message across. Documentaries have many different modes of presenting their material. Mockumentaries define itself as "fictional films which parody the forms and conventions of documentary, often for humorous effect" (Bowling for Columbine). While Bowling for Columbine does not exactly classify as a mockumentary, it does ridicule many of the events or people portrayed throughout the film. However, Moore shapes the viewers' thoughts about guns during this film by appealing to their emotions with events such as the Columbine shooting, Kayla Rolland's murder and the issue of how the United States has the most deaths by guns. Documentaries remain neutral and only present information for the audience's benefit or to tell history. Bowling for Columbine reflects a bias documentary because all "facts" presented are told only as Moore views it. However, these "facts", false in nature, do not show both sides to the story. Many like Ferguson believe Bowling for Columbine to be an eye opener and true, it does open eyes to the harsh reality of the United States and how people kill each other because of they live in a "culture of fear"; however, it fails to give the complete truth to many of the events given.

Works Cited

Bowling for Columbine. Dir. Michael Moore. Perf. Charlton Heston, George W. Bush, Marilyn

Manson, Dick Clark, Matt Stone, Michael Moore. Streamline