Captain Mike Across America
Encyclopedia
Captain Mike Across America is a film written, directed and narrated by Michael Moore
. It was filmed prior to the 2004 election, when the polling margin between candidates George W. Bush
and John Kerry
could have tipped either way. It debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival
on September 7 and 8, 2007.
The film was re-edited by Moore into Slacker Uprising
, which was released for free on the Internet
on September 23, 2008.
to lackluster reviews. Most critics alleged that it served as little more than self-promotion for Moore.
Joe Leydon of Variety
magazine said:
Will Sloan of Inside Toronto wrote:
According to Rotten Tomatoes
Captain Mike Across America was very poorly received by professional critics. Based on all 18 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 28%, with an average score of 4.2/10. Among Rotten Tomatoes' Cream of the Crop, which consists of notable professional film critics from the top print, internet, and broadcast media, based on the 6 who reviewed it, the film holds an overall approval rating of 0% and a score of 3.1/10.
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
. It was filmed prior to the 2004 election, when the polling margin between candidates George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
could have tipped either way. It debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
on September 7 and 8, 2007.
The film was re-edited by Moore into Slacker Uprising
Slacker Uprising
Slacker Uprising is a movie of Michael Moore's tour of colleges in swing states during the 2004 election, with a goal to encourage 18–29 year olds to vote, and the response it received...
, which was released for free on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
on September 23, 2008.
Critical reception
Captain Mike Across America premiered at the Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
to lackluster reviews. Most critics alleged that it served as little more than self-promotion for Moore.
Joe Leydon of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
magazine said:
"One could easily carve an interesting hour-long documentary out of Captain Mike Across America, Michael Moore's ungainly account of his "Slacker Uprising" campaign to encourage young people to vote for John Kerry -- and, more importantly, against George W. Bush -- during the 2004 U.S. presidential election. In its current form, however, this repetitious and self-indulgent hodgepodge comes across as a nostalgia-drenched vanity project, with far too much footage of various celebs at assorted gatherings introducing Moore as the greatest thing since sliced bread."
Will Sloan of Inside Toronto wrote:
"This is probably Moore’s least-compelling film from a cinematic point of view. It plays not so much like a movie, or even a concert film, as a highlight reel. The film builds little momentum as it goes along, and it has virtually none of the drama that characterized his previous films. The pacing essentially never changes. There are some good moments, including a genuinely hilarious scene where Moore offers up some alternatives to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads ("If John Kerry really loved his country, he would have died"), and if you're a Moore devotee, you'll find it mildly interesting, but if you're not, there isn't much to keep you riveted."
According to Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
Captain Mike Across America was very poorly received by professional critics. Based on all 18 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 28%, with an average score of 4.2/10. Among Rotten Tomatoes' Cream of the Crop, which consists of notable professional film critics from the top print, internet, and broadcast media, based on the 6 who reviewed it, the film holds an overall approval rating of 0% and a score of 3.1/10.