Michael Moore names the 10 greatest movies of all time

Known for his keen criticism of capitalism in contemporary society, Michael Moore’s analytical and Academy Award-winning documentaries have unpacked the dangers and absurdity of the ugly side of American society. Staunchly political, at the heart of his work and public persona is his disdain for the American elite, as he famously once said: “White people scare the crap out of me”.

Known mostly for films such as Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore is widely considered a left-wing activist and has authored several books with pithy titles such as Dude, Where’s My Country and Stupid White Men. Born in 1954 in Michigan, Moore developed his idiosyncratic satirical style with his first documentary film Roger & Me. Released in 1989, the film explored what happened when General Motors moved its factories from Flint, Michigan, to Mexico and the ethical dilemma caused when the company paid its workers in Mexico significantly less than those in America. Infamously, the film gained notoriety for a scene in which a woman beats to death a pet rabbit to sell it for meat. Moore has since commented that whilst audiences were outraged at the killing of a rabbit on screen, no one commented on the film’s portrayal of a black man being murdered.

Moore went on to turn the critical eye of his camera to all kinds of issues he saw with American society. In his 2002 film Bowling for Columbine, Moore dissects the culture of guns and violence in the United States in the aftermath of the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999. The film was praised by audiences and critics alike and went on to win the anniversary prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival as well as the 2002 Academy Award for ‘Documentary Feature’. Bowling for Columbine was, at the time of release, the highest-grossing mainstream-released documentary. That is until Moore beat his own record with the film that followed in 2004 – Fahrenheit 9/11.

In Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore turned his attention to American society in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, with a focus on the controversial connections between American President George W. Bush’s family and that of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. As well as mainstream success, the film was awarded the Palme d’Or award, the top honour at Cannes Film Festival in 2004. No stranger to controversy and public attention, Moore stated that Fahrenheit 9/11 would not be put forward for ‘Best Documentary’ at the Oscars that year, but instead, he wanted the film to be nominated for ‘Best Feature’, so to abide by eligibility rules the film could still be aired to millions across America on national TV ahead of the November 2nd elections that year with the hopes of influencing the outcome. The film ended up being snubbed by the Academy and didn’t receive any nominations at all, in spite of grossing a box office revenue of $120million. Moore actually went on to sue Harvey and Bob Weinstein, claiming they withheld his portion of the profits, a case that was eventually settled out of court.

Moore’s other documentaries have covered a variety of facets of American capitalism and corruption. With Sicko, released in 2007, Moore examined the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, calling attention to the business practices of companies such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca long before they became household names during the Covid pandemic for their production of vaccines. Later, in 2009, Moore directed Capitalism: A Love Story, which explored the financial crisis of 2007-2008. Where to Invade Next was released in 2015 and looked at the countries exploring alternate solutions to economic and social issues. To continue his quite brilliant run of productions, in 2016, Moore took an alternate approach in his film Michael Moore in Trumpland, which showed him delivering a solo performance talking about the very real possibility of Trump becoming US president.

Although his films have received significant praise and accolade, Moore’s career has been far from a smooth ride. With Fahrenheit 11/9, he received criticism for rehashing the same filmmaking techniques in every film, and the film Planet of the Humans, which Moore produced in 2020, has recently been enveloped in a scandal as it has became a favourite with the far-right climate-deniers and has since seen climate experts plead for its removal from YouTube.

Over the course of his career, Moore has well and truly earned the label of a leftist filmmaker and whilst his films, books, and political activism all echo a distinctly ‘Michael Moore’ style of absurdist humour and sharp political critique, his work also bears the strong influence of filmmakers that came before him. See below for the ten films that Michael Moore recently told the BFI were his all-time favourites. As you might expect, there are some films on this list that explore contemporary American culture, such as Taxi Driver and A Clockwork Orange, but it’s an eclectic mix of masterpieces that hint at Moore’s varied influences.