In this blog post, I’ll introduce Michael Moore’s documentary “Roger & Me” and summarize why I chose it, my analysis, its shortcomings, and my thoughts on the film.
Introduction
“Roger & Me” is a black comedy-style documentary by Michael Moore that chronicles the reality of the city of Flint, which fell into ruin after the American automaker GM (General Motors) left, and satirizes GM Chairman Roger Smith.
Director Michael Moore serves as the narrator, interviewer, and a major character, attempting to meet and speak with Roger Smith. Moore employs a strategy of repeatedly delaying his meeting with Roger to highlight the abuses of corporate power and the miserable lives of the workers.
Reasons for Selection
When I first saw this film in my documentary class, I was surprised by how distinctly different it was from my preconceived image of documentaries. I had always thought of traditional documentaries as formal and heavily political, but ‘Roger & Me’ is infused with humor throughout, making it easy to watch.
I agree with the idea that “a movie has to be entertaining for audiences to watch,” so I chose this film to analyze how it manages to be engaging and draw in viewers despite being a documentary.
Analysis
The reasons why ‘Roger & Me’ is entertaining can be found in four aspects: visuals, sound, characters, and theme. I will examine each of these elements in detail below.
First, the visuals. While interview scenes—which commonly come to mind when thinking of documentaries—appear frequently in this film, they do not follow a simple question-and-answer format. Moore appears on screen himself to intervene, ensuring the interviews are not merely recorded as raw footage. He skillfully matches other footage—such as clips showing information about the interviewees (e.g., footage of the 1988 Miss America winner interviewed at a Flint City parade), photographs, advertisements, and news clips—to the situation to elicit laughter or heighten the irony. This diverse approach to editing significantly enhances the film’s humor and appeal.
Second, the sound. Moore’s narration goes beyond simple explanation, expressing the director’s own thoughts in a candid and sometimes humorous tone. He inserts a song playing on the radio during a friend’s interview; while the lyrics convey a message of hope, the footage of the dilapidated city of Flint is intercut to create a stark contrast. In the latter half, the film subtly satirizes corporations by juxtaposing Roger Smith’s “apology” with footage of the city’s desolate state.
Third, the characters. The characters in the film are fascinating because they reveal their true-to-life personalities. While a variety of personalities appear—including those laid off by GM, those who sided with GM, and those with a neutral perspective—the portrayal of the laid-off workers is particularly striking. While there is a tendency to portray victims as pitiable and pitiful, this film presents them as witty and sometimes eccentric characters, guiding the audience’s empathy in a different direction.
For example, the woman who makes a living by slaughtering rabbits appears to be a dramatic, intense character, but her matter-of-fact attitude and daily routine paradoxically reveal her state of mind following her layoff. I’m not sympathetic to begging on the subway or to those who exaggerate their misfortune, but I feel compassion for those who express their circumstances calmly or with humor. The characters in the film were charming in that regard.
Moore himself is a unique character. His determination to follow Roger Smith’s movements for three years in order to meet him seems somewhat comical, yet it also makes you root for him. The way the director intervenes in the situation himself offers a freshness that sets it apart from conventional documentaries.
Fourth, the theme. The core message is a demand to directly show how decisions made by large corporations affect local communities and workers. Much like the line from a romance movie—“Just wait and see how I live after you’re gone!”—the simple yet powerful plea that the laid-off workers send to Roger runs through the entire film.
Drawbacks
Some critics took issue with the film’s arbitrary jumbling of the timeline and the editing of the sequence of events. Because of this editing style, there are also voices accusing Moore of being a blowhard. However, the reality he exposes consists of facts that are difficult to refute.
Moore’s intention to cater to popular tastes and make the film entertaining helped ensure commercial success and spread his message, but it also sometimes led him to exaggerate his own role or expose weaknesses in his reporting. Many reviews also noted that the film’s vulgar scenes and journalistic oversimplifications were off-putting. Ultimately, audiences need to consider which issue they view as more important: “corporate greed” or “the director’s self-indulgence.”
My Thoughts
I once watched a documentary called ‘The Diving Bell’. That film, which dealt with the Sewol ferry disaster, felt so forced and heavy-handed in its delivery of political messages and grief that it left me with the impression that documentaries are boring.
“Roger & Me” shattered that perception. While depicting the decline of Flint and the workers’ dire circumstances, it didn’t merely emphasize pity or misery; instead, it drew the audience in with wit, humor, and the director’s direct intervention. The fact that the director appeared on screen himself, unfiltered, to show his struggles to meet Roger, felt honest and refreshing.
Ultimately, this film firmly instilled the idea that documentaries don’t have to be stiff or boring, and it made me rethink the diversity of ways issues can be addressed.
