The Big One (1997)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Michael Moore

Writer:

Michael Moore (written by)

Release Date:

10 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Documentary

Tagline:

Protecting the earth from the scum of corporate America.

Plot:

On his book tour, Michael Moore exposes more wrongdoing by greedy big businesses and callous politicians around America.

Plot Keywords:

Bookstore | Cincinnati Ohio | Narration | Airport | Labor Union

Awards:

5 wins

Cast

Michael Moore	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Elaine Bly	...	Herself - Random House Media Escort
Dan Burns	...	Himself - Radio Personality
Chip Carter	...	Himself - Forbes Campaign
Bill Clinton	...	Himself - Presidential Candidate (archive footage)
Jim Czarnecki	...	Himself (as Jim)
Brian Danitz	...	Himself (as Brian)
Robert Dornan	...	Himself - Congressman (archive footage)
Joel Feick	...	Himself - Radio Commentator
Steve Forbes	...	Himself - Presidential Candidate (archive footage)
Doug France	...	Himself - Random House Representative
Mary Gielow	...	Herself - Media Escort in Milwaukee
Bev Jacowski	...	Herself, Johnson Controls representative
Richard Jewell	...	Himself - Innocent Guy
Kevin Keane	...	Himself - Governor Thompson's Press Secretary
Garrison Keillor	...	Himself
Andy Crash Kelly	...	Himself - Radio Personality
Phil Knight	...	Himself - Nike Chairman
Tia Lessin	...	Herself (as Tia)
Mike McCurry	...	Himself - White House Spokesman (archive footage)
Diane Mitchell	...	Herself, Chicago Media
Rick Nielsen	...	Himself - Entertainer
Keith Peters	...	Himself - Nike Public Relations Director
Loretta Sanchez	...	Herself - Congresswoman Elect (archive footage)
Chris Smith	...	Himself (as Chris)
Jerry Springer	...	Himself (archive footage)
Studs Terkel	...	Himself - Author / Radio Host
Armstrong Williams	...	Himself - Radio Talk Show Host

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Mayfair Entertainment International

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Michael Moore] [flint]Moore tries to convince Phil Knight to open a factory in Flint, Michigan.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where the geologist's husband calls her from the L.A. airport to say he's going to try to make it home, a strong aftershock collapses the wall that the pay phone is mounted on - as this occurs you can see cables attached to the wall pulling it over.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Corporation (2003)

Soundtrack:

Corporate Avenger

Exposing the indifference that is the core of corporate America

The earliest of Moore's films I've seen so far, this is definitely not his best work... technically, this is the least impressive of the ones I've seen(the others are Bowling For Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11). The editing, pacing and presentation just isn't as sharp or clean as the other two. The score isn't as ironic or fitting either. The humor, tone and 'direction' is just as good, though. This time, Moore takes a clean shot at corporate America, and clearly exposes the indifference of the common man's fate displayed by all executives. Several times in the documentary we're introduced to companies that, despite of high profits and no problems with their workers are laying people off, closing and moving factories... putting people out of work, effectively robbing them of their livelihood. As usual, it's done in Moore's fashion of outlining the facts that support his cause and denying or ignoring the ones that do not. Of course, he gets so many laughs throughout that you barely notice it... and what he says is true, at least to a certain extent. The interviews in which Moore asks all the right questions, usually very controversial and direct are inter-cut with what appears to be a stand-up performance by him, which adds a sense of closeness that means a lot for the effect of the film. Not as memorable and interesting as Bowling or Fahrenheit, but most definitely worth watching. I recommend this to any fan of Michael Moore and humorous documentaries. 8/10