Moore comedy, less truth - Zach Porter

Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 is a really hilarious film. Watching some of its opening scenes, like the one where Bush asks "anybody want some grits?" I can't help but double over in a fit of laughter. And who could forget song and dance man John Ashcroft gracing our ears with, "Let the Eagle Soar." What a great comedy! But wait a minute, it's not supposed to be a comedy, it's a "documentary."

If Fahrenheit 9/11 is such a great documentary then why does it spend so much time with conjecture? After a great title sequence, Moore's film attempts to examine just what Bush was thinking in that Florida elementary school when he was told the U.S. was being attacked on September the 11th. Let's take a look at the unconventional methods that Moore uses to extract meaning: First he slows down the footage of the president to an excruciating level. Darn, that yields no useful information except that anyone would look weird on footage that has been replayed at a snail's pace. Second, in an effort to avoid any measure of truth, he decides not to ask anyone facts about procedure or protocol in that situation.