''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 George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

could have tipped either way. It debuted at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

on September 7 and 8, 2007. The film was re-edited by Moore into ''Slacker Uprising'', which was released for free on the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

on September 23, 2008. It is one of the first feature-length films made by a known director to be released as both a free and legal downloadable online movie. The

free download Digital distribution, also referred to as content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution, among others, is the delivery or distribution of digital media content such as audio, video, e-books, video games, and other so ...

is only available to those residing in the United States and Canada. The film was also made available free for online viewing and download on the Lycos Cinema platform as well as iTunes and blip.tv. It had a one-night-only run at the Michigan Theater, where Michael Moore spoke briefly. The film is available in DVD format. ''Slacker Uprising'' features live performances or appearances by Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam),

Roseanne Barr Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom ''Roseanne'' (1988–1 ...

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

Tom Morello Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known for his tenure with the rock band Rage Against the Machine and then with Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, More ...

(of

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commer ...

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

, Steve Earle, and

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argent ...

. The original score is by Anti-Flag.

Critical reception

''Captain Mike Across America'' premiered at the

to lackluster reviews. Most critics alleged that it served as little more than self-promotion for Moore. Joe Leydon of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' magazine wrote: "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 Metroland Media Group (also known as Community Brands) is a Canadian mass media publisher and distributor which primarily operates in Southern Ontario. A division of the publishing conglomerate Torstar Corporation, Metroland publishes more than ...

'' 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." On

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29% of 17 reviews were positive, with an average rating of 4.3/10.

References

External links

Michael Moore official site

Toronto International Film Festival listing
* {{Michael Moore American documentary films Documentary films about American politics Films directed by Michael Moore American independent films 2004 United States presidential election in popular culture 2007 films 2007 documentary films 2007 independent films Documentary films about elections in the United States 2000s English-language films 2000s American films