← Back to episodes
Bowling for Columbine poster
Letterboxd →TMDB →
MOVIE

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

Directed by Michael Moore•2h•Published Oct 11, 2022•Episode length 2h 46m
Episode 143 - Bowling For Columbine
DocumentaryDrama

Top cast

scroll →
Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Self
George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
Self
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
Self
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Self - NRA President
Jacobo Árbenz
Jacobo Árbenz
Self - President of Guatemala
Mike Bradley
Mike Bradley
Self - Mayor of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Dick Clark
Dick Clark
Self
A
Arthur A. Busch
Self - County Prosecutor: Flint, Michigan
M
Michael Caldwell
Self - Police Detective
R
Richard Castaldo
Self - Columbine Victim

Director

TMDB profile →
Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Director
LISTEN

Play the episode

Overview

This is not a film about gun control. It is a film about the fearful heart and soul of the United States, and the 280 million Americans lucky enough to have the right to a constitutionally protected Uzi. From a look at the Columbine High School security camera tapes to the home of Oscar-winning NRA President Charlton Heston, from a young man who makes homemade napalm with The Anarchist's Cookbook to the murder of a six-year-old girl by another six-year-old. Bowling for Columbine is a journey through the US, through our past, hoping to discover why our pursuit of happiness is so riddled with violence.

Show notes

jump ↓

From our warm open hands! Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew: Ian, Ethan, and Georgia (Liam's testing to see if Canadians really do leave their doors unlocked) as we're signing up for a bank account and getting a haircut in Bowling For Columbine. We're discussing if it is a wonderful world in our 143rd e…

Read full show notes

From our warm open hands! Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew: Ian, Ethan, and Georgia (Liam's testing to see if Canadians really do leave their doors unlocked) as we're signing up for a bank account and getting a haircut in Bowling For Columbine. We're discussing if it is a wonderful world in our 143rd episode as we discuss:

  • Our obvious ideological differences being a Brit, a Kiwi, and a Canuck and how that may shape our reading of the film
  • Georgia struggles with some unfamiliar place names and pronunciation
  • Ian shares about some car troubles
  • A crash course on the different types of documentary filmmaking 
  • How Bowling For Columbine tries to come up with a narrative arc, a villain and a happy ending - whether they exist or not
  • What is the Michael Moore style/persona and why might it turn some people off
  • What was the reaction to Michael Moore's Oscar acceptance speech
  • Ian shares some personal experiences living in America and being surrounded by a completely different gun culture than he was used to in Canada
  • We talk about some of the ethical shortcuts Moore might have taken and what the impact of that is on the film's overall message
  • Reverend Bruce turns the whole thing on its head with a poignant piece of feedback 
  • Whether or not Bowling For Columbine is the Best Film Ever

Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at https://www.patreon.com/BFE

We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

  • Rev Bruce
  • Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
  • Lina Oberholzer
  • Ensign Ian Davies
  • Chris Pedersen 
  • Katie McRae
  • Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)
  • Randal Silva
  • The Yeetmeister
  • Nate The Great
  • Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)
  • Andy Dickson
  • Holly Callen
  • Richard

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

  • 0:00 - Opening Banter
    6:40 - Reflections & Corrections
    11:15 - Shoutouts
    26:15 - Deep Dive
    2:06:45 - Endgame