Bowling for Columbine

Bowling for Columbine is a documentary by Michael Moore that examines gun violence and fear in the United States. Starting from the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, Moore travels across the country and into Canada, speaking with ordinary people, officials and others as he looks at why firearms play such a large role in American life. Among those he meets is Charlton Heston, then president of the National Rifle Association. The film is not primarily an argument about gun laws; it is more concerned with the anxiety that runs through American society, and with the question of what separates the United States from other wealthy nations where similar violence is far less common.

Moore directed the film and wrote it, and he appears in it himself. It followed his earlier features Roger & Me and Canadian Bacon, and preceded Fahrenheit 9/11, Sicko, Capitalism: A Love Story and Fahrenheit 11/9. The credited cast runs to 34 people, with most of those on screen appearing as themselves rather than as actors.

Made for about 4 million dollars, the film took roughly 36 million dollars worldwide, a strong return for a documentary. On IMDb it holds 7.9 out of 10 from some 152,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 7.5 from about 1,749 votes. A critics' rating of 8.4 from 172 reviews places it above both audience scores.