Roger & Me (1989)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Michael Moore

Writer:

Michael Moore (written by)

Release Date:

20 December 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Comedy | Drama | History

Tagline:

The story of a rebel and his mike.

Plot:

Director Michael Moore pursues GM CEO Roger Smith to confront him about the harm he did to Flint, Michigan with his massive downsizing.

Plot Keywords:

Michigan | Michael Moore | Flint Michigan | Downsizing | Plant

Awards:

11 wins

Cast

Michael Moore	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Blanchard	...	Himself
James Bond	...	Himself
Pat Boone	...	Himself
Rhonda Britton	...	Herself ('Pets or Meat')
Anita Bryant	...	Herself
Karen Edgely	...	Herself
Bob Eubanks	...	Himself
Ben Hamper	...	Himself
Dinona Jackson	...	Herself
Timothy Jackson	...	Himself
Tom Kay	...	Himself
Ted Koppel	...	Himself (archive footage)
Correy Lennox	...	High School Student
Brian MacDonald	...	Video Tour Guide
Kaye Lani Rae Rafko	...	Herself (Miss America)
Dan Rather	...	Himself (archive footage)
Janet K. Rauch	...	Herself - Amway Lady
Ronald Reagan	...	Himself (archive footage)
Fred Ross	...	Himself (eviction deputy)
Barbara Schroeder	...	Herself - Reporter
Robert Schuller	...	Himself (archive footage)
George Sells	...	Himself (local TV news anchor)
Roger B. Smith	...	Himself
Guy Williams	...	Zorro (archive footage)
Steve Wilson	...	Himself
Sue Zelenko	...	Herself

Also Known As:

A Humorous Look at How General Motors Destroyed Flint, Michigan (USA) (subtitle)
Dance Band on the Titanic: Autoworld and the Death of Flint (USA) (working title)
Roger and Me (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:14A | Finland:S | Norway:11 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Dog Eat Dog Films

Trivia:

The robot featured in the "My Buddy" segment from Autoworld is located in the Sloan Museum, 1221 E. Kearsley Street, Flint, MI. The Roger and Me premiere banner and original cardboard stand up sign are located just a few feet from the robot but no connection is mentioned.

Quotes:

Michael Moore: Mr. Smith, we just came down from Flint, where we filmed a family being evicted from their home the day before Christmas Eve. A family that used to work in the factory. Would you be willing to come up with us to see what the situation is like in Flint, so that people...?
Roger Smith: I've been to Flint, and I'm sorry for those people, but I don't know anything about it, but you'd have to...
Michael Moore: Families being evicted from their homes on Christmas Eve...
Roger Smith: Well, I'm - listen, I'm sure General Motors didn't evict them. So, you'd have to go talk to the landlord.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

Soundtrack:

Happy Birthday to You

Great film, despite some of Moore's liberties

Easily the funniest documentary of all time, this film takes a hard look at the common working man. So many elements in this film are excellent, and one gets to see the tough life these factory workers experience. From the cross action between Roger Smith and the workers getting evicted is one of the most surreal moments in a film full of them. While Michael Moore fiddled with the timeline egregiously, the tongue-in-cheek attitude most of the people exhibit is shocking. A movie for anyone who feels frustrated with the daily rat race.