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AWARDS PROFILE: "SICKO"

"Sicko" will probably take controversial filmmaker Michael Moore back to the Kodak

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By Joey Magidson

What is wrong with our country? That is what I think most people will be thinking when they leave the theater after watching Michael Moore’s new film “Sicko”. I know I did. How can we allow this? There’s something amiss in a nation that is supposed to have streets that are paved with gold, and yet allow people everyday to die from neglect. This fundamental question may very well enable Mr. Moore to have his next encounter with a fellow named Oscar.

Restrained is not a word that would seemingly fit in with a Michael Moore documentary, but it is apt in this case. There is little to no grandstanding, and for the most part Moore lets the victims tell the story. He’s always been able to manipulate an audience exceedingly well, and this is no exception, yet you feel more like the stories are doing it, not the man. The Academy will have a tough time not getting choked up during certain sequences.

His direction is as skilled as ever, and by focusing less on himself, and more on the issue, he may be courting his first directing nod. If the film qualifies for the documentary category, it’s hard to imagine it being excluded, but Mr. Moore may have bigger fish to fry. He may want to see this film go where “Fahrenheit 9/11” failed to go, the Best Picture category. He has a legitimate chance here with a film that is far less a diatribe by an angry man and more a wake up call to slumbering giant. “Sicko” asks questions, and even attempts to provide answers. We shall see if “Oscar” is listening to it.

Potential Nominations:

Best Documentary

Best Film Editing

Best Director

Best Picture

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