‘Roger & Me’ is a Horror Film
Brandon Wetherbee
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Turner Classic Movies decided to air Michael Moore’s first film, the 1989 documentary Roger & Me, this Labor Day. The film in the Library of Congress National Film Registry is, unfortunately and unsurprisingly, way too relevant in 2023. It’s also a horror film.
Documentaries were not everywhere in 1989. Other than PBS, you had to go to your local cineplex or rental store to see one. Unless your local cineplex or video store specialized in foreign films and film festival fare, you were probably not seeing a documentary. The success of 1989’s Roger & Me helped usher in a new type of documentary, a type of doc that’s been dominating YouTube since its inception and streaming platforms once they realized true crime sells.
I first saw Roger & Me on VHS in 1990. My mother brought home our first VCR and two films from our local video store: Roger & Me and Beaches. I watched both. I was 7 years old. Those films are imprinted on my soul. Beaches taught me to value friendships and “Under the Boardwalk” is still stuck in my head. Roger & Me taught me to never trust anyone, shame is pointless, and nostalgia is a disease. The lessons from Michael Moore’s first film are the lessons found in the best work of Jordan Peele, Sofia Coppola, Steven Spielberg, and George Romero. Because Roger & Me is a horror film.
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Roger & Me is the story of Flint, Michigan. Moore grew up there and paints an idyllic picture of an American childhood in the 50s and 60s. He returns home in the mid-’80s and things aren’t as idyllic. GM is laying off thousands of workers, 30,000 workers (THIRTY THOUSAND WORKERS!) and making record profits. The higher-ups paint a rosy picture of the future while the vast majority of citizens are powerless.
Moore attempts to shame GM Chairman Roger Smith into an interview. It doesn’t happen. He highlights some locals along the way, like the guy who evicts people from their homes, a lady in a pyramid scheme, and a woman who dresses (kills and skins) rabbits for food and profit (to supplement her wages from K-mart). Moore also highlights the city’s attempts at car-based tourism, GM’s attempt to make the machines heroes and the people pointless. It doesn’t work. The dream is dead. There’s no hope. The best plan of action is to flee.
In his At the Movies review, Roger Ebert said, “If Woody Allen made documentaries they might look like this one.” While that is a different type of real-life horror film, the documentary is more Jaws and Dawn of the Dead than Annie Hall and Manhattan.
In Roger & Me the beach is Flint, the mayor is GM, and the beachgoers are the citizens of Flint. It’s Jaws.
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In Roger & Me the mall is Flint, the zombies are GM and the remaining survivors are the remaining survivors of Flint. It’s Dawn of the Dead. And just like Dawn of the Dead, the only way out is getting out.
Jaws and Dawn of the Dead inspired Roger & Me and Roger & Me has informed the work of Jordan Peele and Sofia Coppola.
The themes of Roger & Me are all over Get Out and Us. Chris Washington is essentially Moore and the Armitage home is Flint. The photographer is doomed by neo-liberals who would have voted for a certain POTUS for a third time if they could. The way Moore uses The Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice?” mirrors Peele’s use of Luniz’ “I Got 5 On It” in Us.
The way Roger & Me covers the roaring 20s party in Grand Blanc most likely inspired how Coppola presents the gas mask party scene in The Virgin Suicides.
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Documentaries are now the most streamed content. It’s difficult to imagine any of it without the horror and comedy of Roger & Me. This political propaganda, gonzo doc obviously informed the last 30+ years of gonzo storytelling, clearly evident in The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and the brand new Telemarketers (they even mention Michael Moore in two episodes!) on HBO. But if it was just political propaganda, it would not be remembered. It’s timeless because it’s scary.
Killing and skinning a rabbit for food can be a healthy activity. Killing and skinning a rabbit for circumstances that feel beyond your control is frightening.
We’re taught evicting people from their homes is a necessary evil. Seeing someone evict people, people he claims were and are friends, is frightening.
The intended takeaway from Roger & Me may have been to protect and expand unions. The actual lesson is no one is coming to save you.
Categorized:Editorials
