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
Richard Earl Sawdon	...	Spot welder (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Moore

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael Moore		written by

Produced by
Michael Moore	....	producer
Wendey Stanzler	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Chris Beaver
John Prusak
Kevin Rafferty
Bruce Schermer

Film Editing by
Jennifer Beman
Wendey Stanzler

Sound Department
Jennifer Beman	....	sound editor
Judy Irving	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Daniel S. Noga	....	additional cinematographer

Editorial Department
Adam D. Fleischman	....	assistant editor

Music Department
David Hess	....	composer: song "Speedy Gonzales"
Ethel Lee	....	composer: song "Speedy Gonzales"

Other crew
Edward Asner	....	additional funding (as Ed Asner)
Frank Moore	....	additional funding
Veronica Moore	....	additional funding
John Pierson	....	producer's representative
Keith Prusak	....	production assistant
Scott Rouse	....	production assistant
Josef Steiff	....	production assistant

Thanks
Frank Moore	....	special thanks
Veronica Moore	....	special thanks
Ralph Nader	....	special thanks
Barbara Schroeder	....	special thanks (as Barb Schroeder)
Roger B. Smith	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Dog Eat Dog Films
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1992) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Bros. (1990) (UK)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• General Motors  archival sources
• Wide World Photos  archival sources

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:

This is the only movie where there has been a successful lawsuit against Michael Moore - filed by former friend Larry Stecco who successfully argued that his portrayal in the movie was not an accurate reflection of his character ("False light invasion of privacy" is the legal term) and won. Stecco was interviewed attending a society fund raising ball and was made out to be a high-society rich pig who partied while people where starving outside. He was actually a lawyer who worked pro-bono for the poorer residents of Flint.

Quotes:

Michael Moore: So this was GM chairman Roger Smith. And he appeared to have a brilliant plan: First, close 11 factories in the U.S, then open 11 in Mexico where you pay the workers 70 cents an hour. Then, use the money you've saved by building cars in Mexico to take over other companies...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

Soundtrack:

There She Is, Miss America

Corporate America Attacked ( and deservedly so )

Roger & Me tells the story of Flint, Michigan after General Motors chairman Roger Smith, shut down the GM plant leaving the entire town in financial ruin. It also tells the story of director Michael Moore's quest to find Smith and bring him to Flint to see the town's devastation. The documentary tells the idiocy, cowardice, heartlessness, and kissing up of the rich while a town tries anything, and I do mean anything, to get back on their feet. I saw this in my high school economics class and after watching parts of Moore's TV Nation ( also highly recommended ) I felt compelled to watch this again. Contains grisly scenes of a rabbit being slaughtered, which I find painful since I have a pet rabbit, and Smith delivering a Christmas speech about the warmth the holiday season provides, while superimposed over a family being evicted on Christmas Eve. Smith later resigned as chairman and will later on meet a man in a red suit, and he ain't Santa Claus. 9 out of 10.