Michael Moore’s Roger and Me opened in New York and Los Angeles on this day in 1989. The film went on to become the highest-grossing documentary in the United States, winning every award it was nominated for, including the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and Best Documentary from the National Society of Film Critics. The documentary follows the progress Moore makes in attempting an interview with General Motors CEO Roger Smith. GM had closed its automotive plant in the moviemaker’s hometown of Flint, Michigan and left a town of desperation and more than 30,000 people without employment in its wake. The subject hit home for the novice documentarian, as both his father and grandfather had been autoworkers at this very plant.
Film Factoid: The outspoken liberal moviemaker funded this, his first film, by mortgaging his house and hosting Bingo nights for profit.
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