I just saw Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 and found it an arresting, if uneven effort. The crowds for the film were remarkable -it was sold out (this on a Saturday afternoon, for a movie with no orcs, light-sabers, or even Jesus). There may be some spoilers in this post, so stop reading if you want to see it with "fresh" eyes. I've lead a lot of vitriol in the press and the web concerning this movie, usually focusing on Mr. Moore's weight and that "fact" that he's crazy. It's certainly a very biased movie in the sense that Mr. Moore has a particular point of view he wishes to espouse. But I've never thought that documentary filmmakers have to exist in some politically neutral ground - for one thing I wouldn't buy it. I bet even those filming tree frogs in Brazil have ideas on free trade, abortion, and taxes. But on to the movie. If you hate Moore - well he is in the movie on screen much less than in Roger & Me. But he is the narrator, so if you suffer seizures like Kramer from Seinfeld when his voice is heard, better skip this one.

It begins with a montage of the 2000 election, which at the time I thought was surreal enough, but Moore casts as a kind of bad dream that he wonders if it actually happened. Less effective is the parade of Democratic Congressmen and women attempting to have the join session of Congress not certify the election. Mr. Gore at that point knew the legal fight was over, and was not interested in pursuing a supra-legal override. The film moves on to show Bush taking numerous vacations in Maine and Texas during the first year of his presidency. The most alarming parts, given what happened, that involve memos and warnings of terrorist plots are a bit unfair in that they don't depict more than some sound bites and shots of vacation fun as the response, without getting into a great deal of detail. 9/11 itself is treated respectfully - Moore does not actually show the planes hitting the tower. The shots of reactions of people in NYC bring back some chilling memories.

The story of Bush's rather unsuccessful business career is told, as is the association of Bush's family with members of the Saudi royal family, and indirectly - usually through the Carlyle Group - with the Bin Laden clan. It's probably on these points that most of those lambasting Moore as a tinfoil hatter are hanging their arguments. I thought the association with Bin Laden's family not so worrisome as how deeply involved the Saudis in general are with prominent and powerful US politicos. Honestly my readings of "reviews" by some web site made me think that in the film that claims would be made by Moore of Bush knowing what would happen when in fact he makes exactly the opposite claim, that the administration was not sufficiently worried by the chances of terrorist attacks. I know some nut bars out there claim all sorts of vile garbage about Bush, but such claims are not present in this film. Moore implies that Bush is rather too easy on the Saudis considering that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, and Bin Laden himself is from one of it's richest families.