Michael Moore in TrumpLand

It is hard to believe that once upon a time, the Presidency belonged to the Republicans. Apart from the isolated one term victory by Jimmy Carter, the Democrats were regarded as a basket case when selecting Presidential candidates and had to make do with victories for the Congress. Bill Clinton broke this mould and showed that a centrist Democratic party could dominate Presidential elections, heck even Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000 but narrowly lost the electoral college.

Michael Moore in TrumpLand is less of a movie and more of a monologue with some jokes. Polemicist Michael Moore takes centre stage in the Ohio town of Wilmington, in Clinton County where polls indicate huge support for Donald Trump.

This was filmed just recently and released a few weeks before election day. Moore understands why people might vote for Trump. Those who have lost jobs to foreign competition, maybe lost their homes and even their marriage broken up as a result.

Of course once you cast your vote for Trump out of anger it could be too late just in the Brexit vote in the UK in 2016.

The film is not really a hatchet job on Trump. I think it should had been. This multimillionaire son of a multimillionaire property developer which his swanky apartment buildings, luxury yachts, model turned wives and all types if glittering jewels suddenly tells the ordinary working Americans he understands their pain when all along he complains of having to pay minimum wage to his staff, buys foreign steel for his buildings, stiffs his suppliers and uses creative accountancy to avoid paying taxes for years.

Instead it is a defence for Hillary Clinton, a woman pilloried for 25 years ever since her husband Bill ran for the White House as a centrist, moderate Democrat.

Moore admits he has never voted for the Clintons but he admires Hillary for her knowledge, tenacity and courage to put up with all the flak thrown at her. Moore hopes that once elected Hillary might turn out to be more radical.

I guess Trump supporters will hate this film as so will those who have never liked Moore. At least he takes a refreshing take on Hillary, a woman who has to subdue her radical edge just to be accepted by the establishment and the media.

Although his name is in the title of this filmed one man show, Trump isn't in any way the focus, however Clinton very much is – starting with the large pictures of her mounted all around the stage. I had come to this show not knowing what to expect but interested by what little I had heard – and for context I was watching it on the weekend where the FBI dropped the shock announcement that they were looking into more electronic information they had found related to the Clinton email investigation earlier this year.

Moore starts his show with honesty, about not being a Clinton voter, and not being a big fan of hers. He also delivers quite a passionate piece about why he understands people would turn to Trump as a rejection of a failed system, as opposed to Hillary – the manifestation of every politician to many people. It is ironic that this bit that he delivers seems to be the clip that has taken off – ironic because it shows how bang on the money he was, but at the same time it seems to be a rallying cry now more than a reflection (tellingly the use of the clip I have heard all cut off at "feels good" and loses "for a day, or a week" etc). From here he focuses on Clinton, to sell her as a person, to examine why she is disliked and how she has been treated. Unfortunately at this point the film goes from an engaging discussion style, into very much a sales pitch.

He is not helped by events in this election moving so quickly that his thoughts are already outdated. The leaks of the Podesta emails, the discovery of more information on electronic devices belonging to Carlos Danger, and the general opening up to public view of the feelings of those around her, and the big money dealings of the Foundation – all of these things are understandably absent from the film. However, Moore also skates around some other issues too, and it does feel like he is trying to sell Clinton as a person – something she has been roundly terrible at doing herself.

I did enjoy the clips from her graduation speech, and I did take a lot from his presentation on her treatment and sacrifices as a woman, but in the end the presentation starts to boil down to owing it to her, or owing her to America. This election may well be a 'through gritted teeth' for many people on both sides, but it doesn't make for a persuasive argument when spelt out. Trumpland ends up being this though; it does have moments of interesting discourse and content, but in the end it is an emotional appeal to vote for Clinton without enough in the way of reflection and consideration of the whole picture.

Treasonist. Not in all of history has a traitor or a treazonist been hailed as a hero? Sorry Anonymous, with your Guy Fawkes masks, Guy Fawkes Day is actually a celebration of the King's survival against the attack. Which considering your atheism is a paradox, since it was a religious act of terror, a Catholic assault on Anglicanism. But who cares what a liberal or progressive thinks. You really don't think too much. But really? When in history has a traitor or treazonist been hailed as a hero? Never. Stalin is despised by those who lived under Soviet Rule. 50 million dead. Che Guevara is despised in his birth place of Argentina. They destroy every attempt to resurrect his name in honour. Mao killed 100 million of his Komarades. All your heroes are traitors and treazonists. And what does that make you? A hero? No. Try coward on for size. I suspect that will fit.

Michael Moore in Trumpland (2015)

** (out of 4)

Even though I rarely agree with Michael Moore, I do enjoy his pictures. As much as I would love to debate him myself, there's no question that he is a talented filmmaker and on that level alone I will respect him even if I don't respect what he often does with his movies.

With that said, MICHAEL MOORE IN TRUMPLAND is without question his least entertaining film. This really isn't a film but instead Moore held what's basically a stand-up act in Ohio where he brought Trump and Clinton supporters together to talk with them. The majority of the rather short running time is baslcally Moore talking about why Clinton should get your vote.

My problem with this film is that it just seems rushed and it certainly doesn't have the quality of Moore's previous pictures. Just check out how nervous Moore seems at the start of this chat. Just listen to how awful his jokes are. He's certainly not a comedian and some of the jokes told are just beyond awful. Even his speech about Clinton isn't nearly as good as you'd expect from him.

The only time that his passion really comes to life is when he's talking about the people who have died due to not having medical coverage. Had the entire film been more of him talking in a serious manor like this then perhaps the film would have had more of an impact. As it stands, it's pretty much the worst film of his career and looks even sillier considering what happened at election time.

I pretty much agree with everything said about Moore's great ability to communicate his ideas so as to persuade his audience. While he is doing it he goes over the top to sound like the people he is trying to persuade, then over the top to show the possible consequences of their beliefs or practices. This movie is similar in that way. Moore brilliantly makes his points while filming a live "lecture" with a few films and audio clips thrown in to drive things home a bit. Even the staging of talking from a podium, then from a work desk, then moving to an easy chair, like he is talking to you from his living room, shows you the steps he is moving through in his message. Very well thought out and executed. He also uses humor extremely well, getting both political sides laughing. My husband and I laughed many times during the film. We think his points are very valid and that the manipulation he used was only necessary to get people to listen to those points and concerns.

One other thing strikes me about this film - the timing of it's release (18 days before the election) and extreme financial risk of making it in a lecture format. Very different. I wonder if folks will give this film any attention after this election? He gives scenarios for how the world will change if Donald or Hillary is elected. The scenario about Trump taking office is laid out in great detail.

Honorable mentions: I really liked the way Moore describes how differently men and women are viewed, especially in politics. I was also happy that there was little mention of sex scandals (just a passing reference to the Clinton/Lewinski scandal) and no mention of emails. So sick of both of those.

I recommend this film to everyone, especially BEFORE voting on Nov. 8, and even after the election to see if Moore was right.