“Michael Moore in Trumpland” is a surprise documentary from one of the most prominent angry white men in the United States. Michael Moore began his career as an angry white man, railing against GM CEO Roger Smith in his first documentary “Roger & Men” in 1989. The years have mellowed Moore as shown in his humorous 2015 “Where to Invade Next.” Moore is by turns a stand-up comedian and an awe-struck admirer in “Michael Moore in Trumpland.”
Trumpland here is Wilmington, Ohio. The format is like one of those TED Talks or Fathom Events. The audience shuffles in. Michael Moore gets on stage. Behind him are photos of Hillary Clinton at various stages in her life. Moore’s talk isn’t really about Trump. It’s about Hillary Rodham Clinton, someone Moore has had a crush on. Trump does appear in prepared clips as Moore imagines just how the U.S. would drastically change in the first few days under a Trump presidency, when news agencies would be controlled by the government and Trump would bypass the White House for more spacious digs.
You have to remember that Moore has a “forbidden love” for Hillary Clinton and in his book “Downsize This,” he began a chapter on her with “Hillary Rodham is one hot shit-kicking feminist babe.” He did meet Hillary at the White House as Bill was being impeached and he recalls how that meeting went for an appreciative audience. He has some nice things to say about Trump because according to his grandmother, you can always find something nice to say about anyone except Hitler. So he also urges people to say something nice about Hillary.
Recent developments such as the 2005 tape of Trump talking with Billy Bush and the women who have come forward are not addressed because these issues hadn’t been raised at the time of the filming.
This isn’t a great documentary. It isn’t great stand-up. Think of it as just another voter, doing what he can to get out the vote and show his support for one of the candidates. The 73-minute film is playing at the Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino and will supposedly be available as video on demand sometime soon.