RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / Bowling for Columbine
Bowling for Columbine

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
96 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:159

Fresh:153

Rotten:6

Average Rating:8.2/10

Consensus: Though it may not always convince, Bowling for Columbine asks important questions and provokes thought.

Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

US Box Office: $21,244,913

Synopsis: Filmmaker and leftist activist Michael Moore asks some serious questions as he probes the depths of America's trigger-happy gun culture in the insightful and amusing documentary, BOWLING FOR... Filmmaker and leftist activist Michael Moore asks some serious questions as he probes the depths of America's trigger-happy gun culture in the insightful and amusing documentary, BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE. Guns in America are used to kill an average of more than 11,000 people per year. This death toll is obscenely out of balance with other first world countries, which generally average a total in double digits. Experts and analysts have pointed to America's bloody history as a reason, but how does that explain the lower murder rate in Germany? Violent entertainment has also been fingered, but how does this account for staggeringly low numbers in Japan, home of the most violent entertainment video games on the market. Moore's trademark comedic tone is razor-sharp as his quest leads him everywhere from Littleton Colorado's Columbine High School to the home of NRA President Charlton Heston. Moore, oddly enough a lifetime NRA member, makes his main target the news media, but also fires away at inefficient welfare programs, Dick Clark, and Kmart. The latter is even compelled to make a major policy change in their stores due to one of Moore's confrontational stunts. This exploration into America's obsession with guns is disarmingly humorous, but Moore also asks challenging questions and fearlessly seeks responsible parties, making the film an effective call for more social awareness as well. [More]

Starring: Charlton Heston, Marilyn Manson, Matt Stone, Dick Clark

Starring: Charlton Heston, Marilyn Manson, Matt Stone, Dick Clark, James Nichols, Jeff Rossen

Director: Michael Moore

Director: Michael Moore
Producer: Kathleen Glynn, Michael Donovan, Charles Bishop, Jim Czarnecki
Studio: MGM/UA

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Bowling for Columbine

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
03/07/03
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
01/05/03
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...sheds light on the darkest corner of America’s soul – and the man with the torch is the unlikely figure of a shuffling, bespectacled and overweight and underpaid filmmaker in baggy jeans.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
12/28/02
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

Agree with his messages or not, there's no denying the effectiveness of Moore's presentation.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
12/30/08
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
12/27/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
11/05/07
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek

For all its gallows humor and choked laughter of disbelief, it feels rather soul-sick and bewildered.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/23/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Why do Americans seem so inclined to slaughter one another? Once again, Michael Moore has once again waded into some rather murky waters to weigh in on a very thorny subject.

Full Review Source: Global Rhythm Magazine | comment Comment
01/12/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Global Rhythm Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even if his information is, oh, even 40% false... the ideas he is presenting need to be heard, examined, and reckoned with.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

Bowling for dollars

Full Review Source: JWR | comment 4 Comments
10/11/04
S. James Wegg
S. James Wegg
JWR

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
03/16/04
Apollo Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Moore’s timing couldn’t be better aimed for all Americans to search in their heart of hearts and ask why we live in a pathological gun culture.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
02/16/04
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
02/01/04
FilmStew.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Perhaps a world as outrageous as ours deserves a filmmaker as blunt as Michael Moore.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
10/14/03
Jurgen Fauth
Jurgen Fauth
About.com

'Valiente ejercicio de uno de los pocos individuos pensantes por parte de Estados Unidos que se ha atrevido a hacerse escuchar'

Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
10/02/03
Jorge Avila Andrade
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
all

Latest News for Bowling for Columbine

June 25, 2007: Michael Moore Talks "Sicko," Heath Care, Edutainment, Cuba
There isn't much middle ground on Michael Moore; his bromide-laden documentaries have earned him both an enthusiastic following from many on the left and unvarnished vitriol... More...

May 20, 2007: Cannes Wrap-Up: Michael Moore's Latest And Leo's Global Warming Doc
Michael Moore's latest doc, "Sicko," has stirred up more controversy for the Michigan muckraker. Is he onto something with his evisceration of the US healthcare... More...

August 14, 2006: Box Office Wrapup: "Talladega Nights" Stays #1, "Step Up" Surprises
Despite a pair of newcomers close behind in its rearview mirror, Will Ferrell's hit comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby finished in first place for the second... More...

July 31, 2006: Box Office Wrapup: "Miami Vice" Knocks Pirates From #1 Spot
Detectives Crockett and Tubbs shot their way to number one in North America with the cop thriller Miami Vice which finally managed to knock the megablockbuster Pirates of the... More...

See All

More Movies

Coming Soon in Australia
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

70% 70% Where the Wild Things Are 03/12
83% 83% Paranormal Activity 03/12
89% 89% Zombieland 03/12
76% 76% The Informant! 03/12
— The Strength of Water 03/12

What’s Hot On RT

Shock! Horror?

Shock! Horror?

Lars von Trier talks Antichrist

Avatar

Avatar

Watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes video

RT's Twilight corner

RT's Twilight corner

Everything you need on New Moon is here

Kids' Book Films

Kids' Book Films

We fly through 10 of the best

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
6
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
14
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
10
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
116
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
176
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
130
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Twilight's New Moon Dazzle?
97
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
75
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
72
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
58
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
35
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
32
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
13
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
12
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
13
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
9
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
19
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
6
  • RT on DVD: Wassup, Bruno
3
  • Scott Hicks Talks The Boys Are Back
0
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Richard Kelly chats about The Box
2
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
20
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Bowling for Columbine at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Bowling for Columbine at IGN
  • Bowling for Columbine at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Dressing Wonderland
Dressing Wonderland External Link

Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.

Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Win Glee DVDs
Win Glee DVDs External Link

We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.

Why Don't Australians Make Sci-fi?
Why Don't Australians Make Sci-fi? External Link

The New Matilda's Lynden Barber looks at the recent success of low-budget sci-fi -- and asks the question.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter External Link

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.

Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Win Star Wars prizes External Link

Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser

Win the entire 007 collection
Win the entire 007 collection External Link

Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.

Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more External Link

We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.