THIS Sicko thread is for folks who have actually seen it...

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 1:07am

... the WHOLE film, and who had reactions to it and who are able to use their very own words to express them:

To be honest, I'm the type of person who enjoys having seen documentaries but tends to put off going to them because it just seems like work. And I put off going to Sicko for that reason. But then somebody on these boards just kept going on and on and on and on about it (without ever seeing it) and I figured "Anything that terrifies that person that much has to be worth spending the time to see."

And I'm glad I did. I was surprised this many weeks after it opened that it was sold out in the theater I saw it in. It was by turns hilarious and heartbreaking and it literally asked the question that real art asks:

Who ARE we?

Updated On: 7/15/07 at 01:07 AM

[romantico]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 1:09am

Seen it twice now and LOVED it. It might be Moore's best work to date. Michael had better start writing his Oscar speech now.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 1:22am

It's funny how basic issues of ethics and morality can be glossed over by people who would rather focus on the director, not see the movie and put it down.

I thought of a creative way to fund universal healthcare in this country:

Tax every Christian denomination on their property and income. Use THAT money. Because Jesus would have wanted it that way.

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 1:28am

YES! Brilliant idea Namo.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 1:44am

The idea just descended on me about twenty minutes after seeing Sicko. It was almost as if God Herself was using me as her vessel.

[romantico]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 1:54am

I agree FindingNamo, that is a GREAT idea! The scene with the Doctor in England is the one that got me. he was happy with his one home and 2 cars and nice income. Here in the USA, Doctors want more than one home and several cars and other things. The greed made me sick, although some Repubs will translate that greed into Capitalism and they don't see anything wrong with that. Makes you think, in the end when that day comes and you come face to face with that higher power, how will these people spin it? How will they justify their greed?

I also noticed the attitude in France, Canada and the UK is different than ours. The film is an eye opener.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 1:57am

Saw the film the other day. It was brilliant, thought-provoking and heartwrenching.

It's just saddening and maddening to see how this country treats its elderly and infirmed.

[TapTapTapioca]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 2:15am

I think that this is Michael Moore's best film yet. It might have not been the most entertaining since he wasn't really attacking individuals which is always fun to watch. I think that out of all his films this one had the most important message and it will make the biggest difference.

I also love how at the end it was dedicated to Kurt Vonnegut.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 2:17am

I've seen it as well. Brilliant film that tackles an extremely important issue. If only those who believe in the right to life actually believed in that right for people out of the womb and off life support.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 3:49am

I am still trying to figure out why it was $60,000+ for the middle finger but only $12,000 for the ring finger.
The look on the Canadian man who lost all his fingers when this was explained to him was priceless and pretty much summed up the whole film.

I found Moore's set up of the Cuban trip more than a little contrived but was in tears by the end of that segment. Of course the fact that I had just come from the Doctor before seeing it had a bit to do with my emotional state.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 3:49am

Updated On: 7/15/07 at 03:49 AM

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 3:55am

Definitely Moore's best. Not as ego-centric or as unfocused as F9/11 was.

Although my friend brings up an interesting point about universal health care in America:

"The US is so huge that UHC would be next-to-impossible"

"If you notice, Michael Moore never inspected what the other countries' health care systems were like at 2 in the morning..."
Updated On: 7/15/07 at 03:55 AM

[Yawper]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 7:27am

"The US is so huge that UHC would be next-to-impossible"

"If you notice, Michael Moore never inspected what the other countries' health care systems were like at 2 in the morning..."
------

The US us so huge UHC should be more cost effective - there's a larger pool to spread cost across. Social Security and Medicare are large, but they get handled.

From what I saw, at 2 in the morning in France I can get a doctor to come to my residence.

"Who ARE we?"

Moore asked this in Bowling for Columbine, too, with regard to the rampant violence in the US but no one picked up on it - almost everyone thinks BFC was an anti-gun movie, but it wasn't. He was trying to address American violence in general. Many countries have guns, even more guns per capita than the US, but none have the persistent violence. The US is an anti-social country where concern for the overall population takes a back seat to profit. Updated On: 7/15/07 at 07:27 AM

[bschneid76]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 7:59am

I thought the film was wonderful! It is definately Michael Moores best film. It shows that our country isn't the great place we want or hope it would be.

When they show folks working 3 jobs and our own president has the nerve to say "how uniquely American!" I wanted to puke. I can't take anyone serious who either stammers with every sentence or uses such crazy phrases.

It is time our country did something. Instead of worrying about what Ms. Hilton is doing today, we should be focused on America as a whole and fix the system.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 9:44am

The British ex-Member of Parliament stood out for me as the complete moral center of the film.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:14am

Does anybody recall the name of the ex-MP? It doesn't seem to be on IMDB or the Sicko site.

Another favorite was the conservative Canadian man in the golf cart.

[romantico]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:20am

I liked how Bush thought it was WONDEFUL for this woman to have to work 3 jobs. He thought that was fantastic! What a moron!

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:33am

Linda Peeno's testimony was pretty unsettling, and illuminating as to the how and why insurance companies make their decisions.

"I wish to begin by making a public confession: In the spring of 1987, as a physician, I caused the death of a man.

Although this was known to many people, I have not been taken before any court of law or called to account for this in any professional or public forum. In fact, just the opposite occurred: I was "rewarded" for this. It bought me an improved reputation in my job, and contributed to my advancement afterwards. Not only did I demonstrate I could indeed do what was expected of me, I exemplified the "good" company doctor: I saved a half million dollars!

Since that day, I have lived with this act, and many others, eating into my heart and soul. For me, a physician is a professional charged with the care, or healing, of his or her fellow human beings. The primary ethical norm is: do no harm. I did worse: I caused a death. Instead of using a clumsy, bloody weapon, I used the simplest, cleanest of tools: my words. The man died because I denied him a necessary operation to save his heart. I felt little pain or remorse at the time. The man's faceless distance soothed my conscience. Like a skilled soldier, I was trained for this moment. When any moral qualms arose, I was to remember: I am not denying care; I am only denying payment..."

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:34am

I went to Wikipedia to see if I might be able to find the name of the British guy, whom I adored and want to learn more about. I found this however:

In a letter to the Wall Street Journal, Robert S. Bell, M.D., President and CEO of University Health Network, Toronto, said that while Moore "exaggerated the performance of the Canadian health system," it provides universal coverage of a similar quality to that enjoyed by only some Americans.

SOME Americans. Who are we? How did we become this way? Oh, right. Nixon and Kaiser.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:39am

JAG, the Peeno stuff was chilling. Especially when juxtaposed with the British doctor saying he gets cash incentives for patients whose preventive healthcare practices increase. In America, bonuses go out for denying people medical services.

Who are we? And who could possibly think that's moral or ethical?

[Craig]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:43am

Can you imagine if other businesses operated this way?

Imagine teachers who are given incentives to not educate

Imagine auto repair shops who are paid bonuses for using inferior parts and not fixing things that could be fatal

Imagine police officers and firefighters...

Updated On: 7/15/07 at 10:43 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:47am

What's really sad is the outmoded worldview best exemplfied by the Ronald Reagan album shown in the movie! It's hard to believe that a very small number of people cling to the Red Menace chimera to this very day, even after the fall of the Soviet Union and so many changes from the Cold War era. It's funny how such irrelevant constructs influence something as basically morally ethical as helping people regain or retain their physical well being.

[Yawper]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 10:59am

The former MP is Tony Benn - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Benn

"There is no moral difference between a Stealth bomber and a suicide bomber. They both kill innocent people for political reasons."

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 11:03am

What was his quote in Sicko? Something like, "If we can find the money to kill people we can find the money to help people"?

Thanks for finding that, Yawper.

[bschneid76]

Posted: 7/15/07 at 11:17am

I totally agree with that statement Namo. It is a pity.