Critical Reception
Captain Mike Across America premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to lackluster reviews. Most critics alleged that it served as little more than self-promotion for Moore.
Joe Leydon of Variety magazine said:
"One could easily carve an interesting hour-long documentary out of Captain Mike Across America, Michael Moore's ungainly account of his "Slacker Uprising" campaign to encourage young people to vote for John Kerry -- and, more importantly, against George W. Bush -- during the 2004 U.S. presidential election. In its current form, however, this repetitious and self-indulgent hodgepodge comes across as a nostalgia-drenched vanity project, with far too much footage of various celebs at assorted gatherings introducing Moore as the greatest thing since sliced bread."
Will Sloan of Inside Toronto wrote:
"This is probably Moore’s least-compelling film from a cinematic point of view. It plays not so much like a movie, or even a concert film, as a highlight reel. The film builds little momentum as it goes along, and it has virtually none of the drama that characterized his previous films. The pacing essentially never changes. There are some good moments, including a genuinely hilarious scene where Moore offers up some alternatives to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads ("If John Kerry really loved his country, he would have died"), and if you're a Moore devotee, you'll find it mildly interesting, but if you're not, there isn't much to keep you riveted."
According to Rotten Tomatoes Captain Mike Across America was very poorly received by professional critics. Based on all 18 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 28%, with an average score of 4.2/10.
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