Sicko

Sicko is a must for anyone who cares about the state of their health and the health of the States. See it no matter what. It's funny, sad, eye-opening, infuriating, shocking—and pure Michael Moore. The man who took on the head of General Motors in Roger & Me, the gun lobbyists in his Oscar-winning Bowling for Columbine, and the Bush administration in Fahrenheit 9/11 now goes after the insurance companies in this searing documentary about the pathetic state of health care in the U.S. This time, Moore has actually landed on an issue that would seem to cross party lines, since both Democrats and Republicans get sick. And as his sharply constructed film shows, it's only to the benefit of the doctors and insurers who just get richer as we turn bluer. The stories he tells here will simply blow your mind. Moore interviews some of the nearly 50 million uninsured victims, and shows how difficult it is to get any coverage if you have certain preexisting conditions, which according to the hilarious Star Wars–style crawl on display would include just about everything but breathing. The bulk of the film, however, is taken up with visits to other countries where socialized medicine is, according to Moore and his interviewees, thriving. At least that's the way it seems. If the movie is little more than a two-hour infomercial for universal health care, it could be the most important infomercial ever made. Considering the serious subject matter, though, it's wickedly entertaining, while also being a movie that could change minds and save lives—and that's nothing to sneeze at.