THE FILM

Five years ago, iconic Midwesterner Michael Wilson saw Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" and decided it was all just too much to bear. Wilson was fed up with the lies and misdirection that Moore's film allegedly contained, and desired to get his side of the story out to the clueless masses. Thus was born, "Michael Moore Hates America," which Wilson suggests is more of an allegorical title than a libelous swipe. Yeah, right.

"Hates America" started life as Wilson's loving ode to the country's great and diverse population, which Wilson claims Moore has taken it upon himself to speak for, defecating on American ideals in the process. However, during the Wilson's production period, a political bomb was dropped in the form of Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," which ended up as one of the top-grossing movies of 2004; a remarkable achievement for a decidedly partisan documentary. Suddenly, Wilson smelled blood in the water; the end result being that "Hates America," for all of its patriotic pandering, bizarre round-up of "experts," and general dream of objectivity, is the exact same type of filmmaking that Wilson is openly criticizing Moore for.

Good heavens, the hypocrisy is deafening.

Wilson wraps himself tight in the American flag immediately with his biographical opener, which paints him as an infant-cuddling, "aw shucks" Wisconsin/Minnesota boy wonder who just "don't" understand why a rich New Yorker such as Moore would verbally vomit such nasty comments about America. Wilson's film is essentially an examination of Moore's interview and editing tactics, which have been endlessly accused as being biased and manipulative. That established, it comes as a great surprise when Wilson starts deliberately playing these tricks too, and not in a smart, satiric way, but in a hopeless, hypocritical fashion, while still lustfully stroking his deceptive, "gee whiz, I dunno about this Moore fella" personality.

Wilson starts the carnival by nitpicking the minutiae of "Columbine" (the sequence where Moore gets the free gun from the bank is a favorite), yet isn't bright enough a filmmaker to realize the he's just reemphasizing Moore's overall point in the process of tearing it to shreds. Wilson invites personalities like Penn Jillette (a wonderfully outspoken and articulate man who should've directed this movie), documentarian Albert Maysles ("Gimme Shelter"), and unknown comedian Tim Slagle to chat about Moore and his films, with each interviewee concluding that Moore has a right to say what he wants, but he really shouldn't.

Wilson also criticizes Moore's love for Canada by heading up to the Great White North and interviewing two stoned and homeless Canadian teens for their thoughts on America. How insightful. However, that's not nearly as stupid as Wilson challenging Moore's "Columbine" suggestion that Caucasians are choosing to live in gated communities to keep minorities out, yet Wilson finds only Caucasians to interview when he visits one of those communities to prove Moore wrong. That moment alone sums up the entire movie with disturbing precision.

Does Michael Moore manipulate his films? Of course he does (every media outlet does), which leads Wilson to the discussion of what the term "documentary" should really mean. Here's where "Hates America" hits a positive stride, and finally finds a topic worth burning tape over. The fact that there hasn't been truth in cinema since it began (documentaries too) is lost on Wilson, who is determined to prove Moore is a liar, and the fascinating documentary angle is soon dropped in favor of three, count 'em three "Moore is fat" jokes. Oooh, classy, Mr. Wilson.

It should be noted that the filmmaker is just as obese as Moore.

Another superior sequence that Wilson puts forth is a visit with a wounded soldier who appeared in "Fahrenheit 9/11" through archival news clips (footage that he couldn't control), and is none too happy about it. Wilson gives the armless military man plenty of room to justifiably vent, even commenting directly on his scene as it appears in Moore's film - which, again, since Wilson doesn't quite understand what he's doing, is exhibited on a bootleg DVD of "Fahrenheit."

Hey, Michael Moore might hate America, but apparently Michael Wilson hates the MPAA.

Eventually the film questions if specific editorial choices to engage an emotional response should be considered an honest way to make a film. Last I heard that was the only way to make a film. And if the criteria for cinematic fraud is to piece together something emotionally resonant, manipulative, and heartbreaking in the name of an overall point, then stay tuned for my 2007 documentary: "Brian Orndorf Hates 'Rudy'"

THE DVD

Visual:

Presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, "Hates America" is a jumble of visual disappointments. While the Wilson-led DV look of the picture is smooth and colorful, the rest of the film is assembled from a horde of video sources, and it seems nobody attached to the production of the DVD felt the need to clean it all up. Often the picture will look stretched horizontally, making sections of the feature unpleasant to watch.

Audio:

The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound mix is nothing extraordinary. Music and interview footage are separated proficiently, but any hint of vitality is lost due to the budget limitations and low quality of the DVD.

Extras:

Not surprisingly, Wilson has failed to include any sort of supplements to either reinforce his arguments or bring the viewer up to date in the three years it took this film to get to DVD.

Not surprisingly (part deux), the MySpace website the packaging and title menu so eagerly pimp for the film has been removed. Nothing says "Red Hot DVD promotion!" like a dead website.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Personally, I've always supported Moore's films with great delight, and enjoy their absolute fearlessness. Nothing reminds me why I treasure his films more than to see Wilson stumble aimlessly around his scenes, unable to unearth a joke or a profound moment, much less have the guts to actually explain the type of film he's making to his interview participants (this is unreal to witness).

For all his hot wind and suspect filmmaking instincts, Moore is a genuinely entertaining fellow, verbally light on his toes, and harnessing a wit that can cut through stone. Moore is a muckraker, rabble-rouser, and general political terrorist who grows in power and ego the more people pay attention to him. Wilson is just a softhearted guy mistaking boldfaced imitation for bravery and "truth." He's trying to suck off Moore's substantial spotlight to jumpstart his own directorial career that, if this unprofessional film is any indication, has absolutely no justification to continue.