- Actors: Michael Moore, James Blanchard, James Bond, Pat Boone, Rhonda Britton
- Directors: Michael Moore
- Writers: Michael Moore
- Producers: Michael Moore, Wendey Stanzler
- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
- Region: (US and Canada This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- MPAA Rating:
- Studio: Warner
- Release Date: Aug 19 2003
- Run Time: 91 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (121 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00009YXAS
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#18,400 in DVD (See Top 100 in DVD)
- #12 in DVD > Documentary > Politics
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Product Description
Amazon.com Essential Video
Roger and Me is a loose, smart-alecky documentary directed and narrated by Michael Moore, an everyman host with a devastating wit and a working-class pose. When his hometown is devastated by the plant closure of an American corporate giant (making record profits, one should note), the hell-raising political commentator with a prankster streak tries to turn his camera on General Motors Chairman Roger B. Smith, the elusive Roger of the title, and the film is loosely structured around Moore's odyssey to track down the corporate giant for an interview.
While Moore ambushes his corporate subjects like a blue-collar Geraldo Rivera, a guerrilla interviewer who treasures his comic rebuffs as much as his interviews, his portraits of the colorful characters he meets along the way can be patronizing. The famous come off as absurdly out of touch (Anita Bryant appears for some can-do cheerleading, and hometown celebrity Bob Eubanks tells some boorish jokes), and the disenfranchised poor (notably an unemployed woman who sells rabbit meat to make ends meet) all too often appear as buffoons or hicks. But behind his loose play with the facts and snarky attitude is a devastating look at the victims of downsizing in the midst of the 1980s economic boom. This portrait of Reagan's America and the tarnish on the American dream comes down to a simple question: what is corporate America's responsibility to the country's citizens? That's a question no one at GM wants to answer. --Sean Axmaker
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a terrific film!,
By SF Reader "oregon_duck" (City by the Bay, SF, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Roger & Me (VHS Tape)
Michael Moore is a genius! I rented 'Roger and Me' for the second time after seeing 'Bowling For Columbine', which is another incredible film and this movie is amazing. Michael Moore does a terrific job portraying the people and events that happened in Flint. If it wasn't so funny, it would be depressing!His quest for Roger Smith is hilarious. It's unbelievable the effect that Roger Smith's actions had on this town. This is a absolute must see film. Go see "BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE"!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bunnies for pets,......or rabbits for meat?,
By "patrick_mcknight" (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Roger & Me (VHS Tape)
This hilarious, disturbing, and completely original documentary launched its director, Michael Moore to fame. Moore's film shows what happens when General Motors decides to close down its plant in Flint, Michigan. 30,000 people lose their jobs and Flint's economy plunges into depression.The film details Moore's attempt to get an interview with GM head Roger Smith to show him what he did to Flint. Instead, Moore is given the run-around as he is informed that Smith is out, unavailable, or busy. Undaunted, Moore points his camera at the people of Flint to show us the viewers what GM did to Flint. We are shown a man who suffered a mental breakdown after losing his job. We are shown a spaced-out woman who has formed a most interesting business to ward off unemployment. We are treated to pictures of the upper class living in complete oblivion to the poverty surrounding them ("Get a job!" one woman informs Moore). We are informed that the crime rate has skyrocketed in Flint since the plant shut down. But not to worry, this provides a new source of employment. Laid-off employees can now get jobs as security guards locking up their former co-workers. A few scenes that really stood out in my mind: One was the way the sheriff goes from house to house evicting people with a bored expression on his face. When Moore questions him about how he feels about doing this, the sheriff looks completely baffled. Instead, he talks about how he is looking forward to his upcoming holiday. Doesn't he realize he's on camera? Another scene that stands out, the people of Flint trying to offset unemployment by developing a theme park dedicated to celebrating Flint's GM heritage. When the park fails to attract tourists, the people are left looking pretty stupid. There's also that scene where Ronald Reagan shows up to treat the unemployed workers to pizza and give them a lecture about finding employment. He then forgets to pick up the check. It's important to realize that GM didn't close the plant in Flint because they were in an economic downturn, but because they didn't want to spend a little extra money keeping people employed. GM devastated Flint's economy so that the people at the top could get a little richer. Moore's film transcends being just a revenge comedy and becomes a stinging indictment of the dark side of capitalism. You can't help but feel that Roger Smith would have been better off if he'd agreed to the interview. Instead, Michael Moore chose to point his camera at Flint, giving Smith a much more damning indictment than an interview ever could. I'll be looking forward to seeing Moore's new film "Bowling for Columbine" when it's released in October. I hope its as good as this film.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gone now,
By
This review is from: Roger & Me (DVD)
A thinner, shaved Michael Moore goes after Roger Smith of General Motors for ignoring the plight of the people of Flint, Michigan. A comical look at the 80's, though a real downer of a movie, especially the Christmas scenes. Hard to imagine a bigger scrooge, though I see no reason why anything would be different all these years later. I wonder what Smith would say about F911Michael Duranko
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