“Honestly, I think we should just trust our president and every decision that he makes,” says Britney Spears in Fahrenheit 9/11. In the context of what Michael Moore spins out in the rest of the film, it's a good job the pop princess doesn't have any influence over people of voting age. Such is the disaster from the hand of Bush portrayed in Fahrenheit 9/11, that you'd think you're watching a Roland Emmerich movie, starring an ogre bigger than Shrek.
Beginning with Bush's dubious election “win” (a la the first chapter of Stupid White Men), Moore goes on to expose the connections between the Bush presidential family and several powerful Saudi dynasties, including the Bin Laden family. But as the conspiracy and links are beginning to be fascinatingly exposed, the doco seems to frustratingly dovetail off, moving on to the matter of Iraq. In hindsight, this move is highly prophetic. Iraq, of course, was the major thorn of Bush's election campaign during the year of the film's theatrical release, and there's no doubt that Moore had loaded his film with an American audience in mind.
At times the film develops a distinct familiarity, feeling like a George W. Bush misdemeanours “greatest hits” package – his lust for oil, the Orwellian perpetual war, the suffering of the poor. It's more linear and measured in its presentation than Bowling For Columbine, which took a decidedly more sentimental approach. Moore's trademark sarcasm and irony are toned down here too, as are his hammy on-screen appearances.
At the expense of its maturity and polish, overall the film falls short of Bowling For Columbine in terms of being as dynamic or entertaining. That said, rather than packing killer punches, it has an overall resonance. It's also the best film Britney Spears will ever appear in.
