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2007 film

Sicko
Sicko theatrical poster
Directed by	Michael Moore
Written by	Michael Moore
Produced by	Michael Moore
Starring	Michael Moore
Distributed by	The Weinstein Company Lionsgate (theatrical)
Release dates	June 29, 2007
Languages	English, French, Spanish

For other uses, see Sicko (disambiguation).

Sicko (or SiCKO) is a documentary film by director Michael Moore, released in the United States and Canada on June 29th, 2007. It investigates the United States health care system with a focus on the behavior of large health insurance companies, and contrasts the U.S. system with those of countries with universal health care coverage.

On April 19, 2007, Moore announced on his website that Sicko had been selected for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival where it had its world premiere on May 19, 2007; he also announced the North American release date. Moore's film had an early premiere the week before its North American release in Washington D.C.

Synopsis

Sicko deals with the problems of the American for-profit health insurance and pharmaceutical industries. Its main message is that publicly-funded health care is a better model than the present US health-care system because the present system is designed to maximize profit by minimizing the care delivered to patients.

At one point in the film Moore says: "And the United States slipped to 37 in health care around the world, just slightly ahead of Slovenia."

U.S. health-care system

Anecdotes of people denied care

The movie begins with the retelling of the stories of people who were denied health care, either because they did not have health insurance or because the insurance companies denied their request for coverage for a particular ailment, due to specious reasons. (On February 3, 2006, Moore requested, via his blog, that people send "Health Care Horror Stories" in an effort to share his view on the health care industry.)

The examples shown include:

Doug Noe's insurance provider, Cigna Healthcare, approved a cochlear ear implant for only the left ear of Noe's toddler daughter, Annette, who was born with an acute hearing disability. Cigna argued that a two-ear operation was "experimental." (After Noe alerted Cigna that Moore was making a movie about the US Healthcare system, and that Noe's case would be featured in it, Noe was contacted by Cigna, and they agreed to approve the second implant. This occurred before Moore had actually heard of Noe's case, so Noe acted independently of Moore.)

A woman gets stuck with the ambulance bill after a car accident because she didn't clear the charge with her insurer before requesting the ambulance; the accident had immediately rendered her unconscious and unable to request approval.

Also shown is the widow of Tracy Pierce, who died from kidney cancer after his insurer denied numerous treatments recommended by his doctor, including a possibly life-saving bone-marrow transplant.

Homeless patients, still in hospital gowns and some with IV tubes in their arms, were abandoned at homeless shelters by Los Angeles hospitals after they had received some medical treatment. (In May 2007, Kaiser Permanente, a large nonprofit health insurer, settled criminal and civil lawsuits by agreeing to establish new rules for discharging homeless patients. They paid $55,000 in fines, covered the city attorney’s investigative costs; and agreed to spend $500,000 on the homeless for follow-up care and other services.) Mike Huffman is seen in the film describing the dumping of a woman at the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles' Skid Row.

One woman's insurance provider denied coverage after an operation, because she didn't mention a minor previous yeast infection on her application; they retroactively cancelled her coverage on that basis.

Rick accidentally sawed off the tops of his middle and ring fingers on one hand while working at home. He had no insurance and limited funds at his disposal, so he was asked by the hospital to choose whether to have the hospital reattach the end of his middle finger for $60,000 or the end of his ring finger for $12,000. (He chose the ring finger, "being the hopeless romantic he is".)

Accounts from inside insurance companies

Some repentent former employees of insurance companies are also interviewed, and describe dubious practices of their former employers, such as considering the best doctor in their employ to be the one who could deny the most treatments.

One scene shows a clip of Congressional testimony given in 1996. Dr. Linda Peeno, a former medical reviewer for the health insurer Humana, said her job was to save money for the company. "I denied a man a necessary operation", she testified, referring to a decision she made in 1987. (Her testimony "has been widely recounted over the years," according to a news article in The New York Times. A spokesman for Humana said the case Peeno referred to had involved whether a man had coverage that would pay for a heart transplant, and Peeno correctly found the insurance didn't cover the procedure.)

The film also interviews Lee Einer, whose job at a major insurance carrier (not identified in the film) was to examine insurance applications retroactively. Einer was to peruse large claims in order to find evidence that the applicants had hidden previous conditions. Einer says it was irrelevant whether or not the applicant intended to mislead, the companies just wanted excuses to avoid paying the claims. Even if they had a previous condition that had never before been treated, many states have a "prudent person" rule that states that if it is a condition that a prudent person would have sought help for, then it counts as a pre-existing condition.

Washington lobbyists and politicians

The movie also describes the connection between lobby groups such as PhRMA, the largest and most powerful lobbyist block in Washington D.C., and political groups. Moore says that Hillary Clinton, who once championed the Clinton health care plan, is the Senate's second-highest recipient of campaign donations from the health care industry. Moore said that Clinton's friend Harvey Weinstein, whose company provided financing for the film, asked him to remove the scene but Moore refused. Moore said that he had donated to Clinton's first Senate campaign but has since become disillusioned with her.

Health-care systems elsewhere

The American system is then compared to those of Canada, the United Kingdom and France, which have universal health care for their citizens. This segment includes interviews with former Member of Parliament Tony Benn, members of the local middle class and Americans residing in those countries. Moore tries to locate a place where British patients must pay something in a hospital (he eventually finds a counter labeled "Cashier", only to learn that low-income patients actually receive money there to reimburse their trip to the hospital).

Moore also rides along with a 24-hour French house-call service in which a doctor with a company called SOS Médecins visits patients at their homes. The doctor rides around Paris at night, taking dispatch calls like a taxi driver.

Moore further learns that French government helpers will literally do laundry for new mothers, as part of their job of providing neonatal support.

Some volunteer rescue workers who helped during the World Trade Center attacks of 2001, and who subsequently developed a series of medical conditions (some physical and some psychological, including PTSD), are then interviewed. The government will not pay for care for their ailments.

Since the US government must provide, under the terms of the Hague Convention and Geneva Conventions, full medical care for the alleged enemy combatants detained at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, Moore takes three speed boats of 9/11 rescue workers; one of the people seen earlier in the movie; and any others who need medical care that they cannot get in the U.S.; and sails from Miami for Cuba. The group arrives at the entrance channel to Gitmo, on a different boat. Moore asks for access with a megaphone, pleading for treatment for 9/11 heroes that equals the treatment the "evil doers" are getting, but no response is given and Moore finally gives up when a siren is blown from the base.

The group then moves on to Havana, where they can receive free medical treatment they would otherwise not be able to afford. The volunteers are hospitalized there and receive treatment, having only to provide their names and birth date. Moore asked the doctors to provide them only the same level of care they would give to Cuban citizens. He also interviews pediatrician Dr. Aleida Guevara, the daughter of Che Guevara (Ernesto Guevara was a physician himself).

Although trip participants signed confidentiality agreements prohibiting them from talking about the trip, some did say that the trip was a success, with The New York Post quoting John Feal, head of the Fealgood Foundation that raises money for 9/11 first responders, that “From what I hear through the grapevine those people who went are utterly happy." In the film's finale, Moore provides as an example of "taking care of each other, no matter the differences". He states that the host of MooreWatch, Jim Kenefick, whose website is devoted to attacking Moore, was going to shut down the site because he needed the money to pay for his wife's medical treatment. He requested donations to help with the costs, and Moore anonymously sent a check for $12,000 to Kenefick. Moore says that he does not want the health care system to trump the first amendment. The audience is shown a thank you letter posted by the host, calling Moore his "Guardian Angel" (written while he was still unaware of Moore being the donor), while continuing to criticize Moore on his website.

Reception

The movie has received largely positive reviews, as evidenced by its Rotten Tomatoes rating of 91%. The consensus statement on Sicko is that it is "A devastating, convincing, and very entertaining documentary." Following early viewings at the Cannes Film Festival, Variety described Sicko "an affecting and entertaining dissection of the American health care industry", concluding it should play well internationally. Moore has nonetheless been quoted as saying, "I know the storm awaits me back in the United States."

In his New York Times review, critic A.O. Scott said the movie is "the funniest and the most tightly edited" of any Moore film to date.

In an early review a week before the premiere, Richard Roeper and Michael Phillips (the latter filling in for Roger Ebert) gave Moore's film two thumbs up.

Roger Friedman, who reviewed the film for Fox News, wrote, "Filmmaker Michael Moore's brilliant and uplifting new documentary, "Sicko," deals with the failings of the U.S. healthcare system, both real and perceived. But this time around, the controversial documentarian seems to be letting the subject matter do the talking, and in the process shows a new maturity."

British film magazine Empire commented that "Sicko is the film that truly reveals Moore as an auteur."

Other reviewers have not been so keen of the film. The New Yorker's David Denby writes: "After the early tales of the system's failure, “Sicko” becomes feeble, even inane.". In a review published in both the The New Yorker and Reason Magazine, Michael Moynihan calls the film "touching, naïve and maddeningly mendacious, a clumsy piece of agitprop that will likely have little lasting effect on the health care debate".

On May 19, 2007 more than 2,000 people applauded loudly after the film's first Cannes screening at the packed Grand Theatre Lumiere, the main festival auditorium.

The North American premiere of Sicko was held in London, Ontario at the Silver City movie theatre at Masonville Place on June 8 2007, with Moore himself in attendance. Sicko features patients from the London, Ontario area.

Sicko made $4.5 million on its opening weekend. In only 441 theaters, it took in an average of $10,204 per theater, the second highest average gross of the weekend.

As of July 2, Sicko has grossed $5.2 million in the United States alone, although the film is scheduled to be released in other countries.

Controversy

Piracy

Although the film was released on June 29 2007, a copy was leaked onto the Internet in early to mid June 2007. Moore, who previously stated his support for Internet downloading, denies leaking the video himself and an investigation has been held as to the source of the Internet leak. When asked about the leak, Moore said:

"I'm just happy that people get to see my movies...I'm not a big supporter of copyright laws in this country...I don't understand filmmakers...who oppose sharing, having their work being shared by people, because it only increases your fanbase...I've always been happy in the past when teenagers have downloaded pirated copies of my movies...They've been downloading them and they've been sharing them, and I think that's great."

Treasury Department probe

In a May 2, 2007 letter, the Office of Foreign Assets Control informed Moore that he was the subject of a civil investigation stemming from the filmmaker's March trip to Cuba. In the letter to Moore, a Treasury official noted that the department had no record of Moore obtaining a license that authorized him to "engage in travel-related transactions involving Cuba," alleging that Moore violated the United States embargo against Cuba. A duplicate master copy of the film is being held in Canada in case American authorities attempt to seize the film as part of the criminal investigation against Moore that arose from taking American 9/11 rescue workers to Cuba for medical treatment.

Soundtrack

Many songs, instrumental and otherwise, exist on this film's soundtrack. They are:

"I'm Alone Without You," Written and Performed by The Nightwatchman (aka Tom Morello)
Aquarela do Brasil by Ary Barroso (in reference to Terry Gilliam's film, Brazil)
"Baseball" (from the film, In the Bedroom), Written by Thomas Newman
"Loverly Spring" (from the film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events), Written by Thomas Newman
"Rejected," Written by Danny Winn, Performed by Danny Winn and the Earthlings
"Star Wars Main Title Theme," Written and Performed by John Williams (as John T. Williams)
"Secret Pint," Written by Stuart Braithewaite, Performed by Mogwai (band)
"Adagio for Strings," Composed by Samuel Barber, Performed by Brno Philharmonic Orchestra
"I'll Take You There," Written by Alvertis Isbell, Performed by The Staple Singers
"Sabre Dance," Composed by Aram Khachaturian, Performed by Brno Philharmonic Orchestra
"The Bad Beginning" (from the film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events), Written by Thomas Newman
"Chez Olaf" (from the film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events), Written by Thomas Newman
"(I've Got a) Golden Ticket" (from the film, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory), Written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, Performed by Jack Albertson and Peter Ostrum
"Christmas Eve Montage" (from the film, The Nightmare Before Christmas), Written by Danny Elfman
"Street Fighting Man," Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Performed by The Rolling Stones
"Lucy" (from the film, Little Children), Written by Thomas Newman
"The Baudelaire Orphans" (from the film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events), Written by Thomas Newman
"L'amour est bleu," Written by Pierre Cour and André Popp, Performed by Vicky Leandros and Claude Denjean
"Le temps des cerises," Performed by Charles Trenet
"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)," Written by Paul Simon, Performed by Nana Mouskouri
"Una Musica Brutal," Written by Phillippe Mauric Cohen Solal, Eduardo Anibal Makaraoff, and Christoph Hermann Mueller, Performed by Gotan Project
"Je t'aime... moi non plus," Written by Serge Gainsbourg, Performed by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin
"Beam," Written by John Powell, Performed by Hans Zimmer
"Can't Sleep #2" (from the film, In the Bedroom), Written by Thomas Newman
"I'll See You in C-U-B-A," Written by Irving Berlin, Performed by the Austin Lounge Lizards
"Ice Skating" (from the film, Abandon), Written by Clint Mansell
"Ring" (from the film, The Astronaut Farmer), Performed by Suart Matthewman
"Don't Be Shy," Written and Performed by Cat Stevens (as Yusuf Islam)
"Ce monde absurde," Written by Steve Barri and P.F. Sloan, Performed by Claude François

References

"An Update from Michael Moore (and an invitation to his film festival)". www.michaelmoore.com. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
Masters, Kim, article/news segment titled "Michael Moore's 'Sicko' Flogs U.S. Health Care", Web site of National Public Radio, dated June 20, 2007, accessed June 24, 2007
Moore, Michael (2006). "Send Me Your Health Care Horror Stories... an appeal from Michael Moore". michaelmoore.com. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
Moynihan, Michael C., "Michael Moore's Shticko: His health care jeremiad won't win any converts", article at ReasonOnline Web site of Reason magazine (it is unclear from the Web site whether the article is in the magazine, June 22, 2007, accessed same day
^ Cohn, Jonathan, "It's no fun to agree with Michael Moore / Shticko", article in The New Republic magazine, July 2, 2007 issue, posted on the Web site on June 22, 2007, accessed June 23, 2007
Freudenheim, Milt and Klaussmann, Liza, "Film Offers New Talking Points in Health Care Debate", news article in The New York Times, May 22, 2007
"Humana issues statement on Moore's 'Sicko'". Business First of Louisville. 2007-06-28. Retrieved 2007-07-02.
“Moore Says Weinstein Wanted Clinton Scene Cut”, Washington Post, Accessed June 26, 2007.
“Michael Moore's pot-shots at Hillary Clinton in 'Sicko'”, ANI, Accessed June 26, 2007.
"Moore unveils Sicko at Cannes". InTheNews.co.uk. 2007-05-14. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
"Controversial Michael Moore Flick "Sicko" Will Compare U.S. Health Care with Cuba's". pnhp.org. 2007-04-25. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
"Sicko (2007)". Rottentomatoes.com. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
Alissa Simon. "Review: Sicko". Variety. Reed. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
Andrew O'Hehir. "Sicko". salon.com. Salon. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
Scott, A.O., "Open Wide and Say ‘Shame’", film review, The New York Times, June 22, 2007
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,273875,00.html
"No Country For Old Men and Sicko". Empire. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
{{cite web | url=http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2007/07/02/070702crci_cinema_denby | title=New Yorker review of 'Sicko'.
Michael Moynihan. "Michael Moore's Shticko:His health care jeremiad won't win any converts". reason.com. Reason. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
"Michael Moore's Sicko gets audience thumbs-up at Cannes". CBC Arts. CBC. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
"'Ratatouille' Swarms Weekend Box Office". FOXNews.com. Retrieved 2007-07-02.
boxofficemojo.com
Goldstein, Gregg (2007-06-18). "Pirated "Sicko" surfaces on YouTube". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ib6d2c95cdf6b2ef37a85f5a151f1da7b
"Uncle Sam Probes Michael Moore (Treasury Department investigating director's unauthorized Cuba trip)". thesmokinggun.com. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
"Michael Moore In Trouble For Cuba Trip (Treasury Investigation; Moore Took Sept. 11 Workers To Banned Island For Treatment)". www.michaelmoore.com. Retrieved 2007-05-14.
"Moore fears film seizure after Cuba trip". www.reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 2007-07-11.

External links

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Sicko Official movie site
Sicko trailer at YouTube
Sicko at IMDb
Sicko? The truth about the US healthcare system at The Independent
An Hour with Michael Moore on "Sicko" interview at Democracy Now
Sicko at DVD Talk
Michael Moore Helps his Biggest Nemesis

Reviews

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