“Michael Moore’s much anticipated Sicko hits, and having seen it, we can say it’s not particularly essential for Canadian viewers to watch, unless you want to feel smug about our lovely health care system, or slightly surprised that it only takes an hour or so in London (Ontario) to be seen in an emergency room. Yes, the film is chock-a-block with anecdotal evidence, and it’s probably to the film’s fault that, as usual, Moore is selective with his anecdotes to only show free universal health care in a positively glowing light.

But Torontoist is at a disadvantage here, because we can’t even begin to imagine why free universal health care is a bad idea. Higher taxes, or something? Lame. Sicko may not be essential for Canadians to see, but it might be nice for Americans to see it. They don’t need to believe it—they can question it, as is their very right as an intelligent viewer. As long as it makes them think.”

Sicko should, by all accounts, infuriate me, but for the reasons above I can’t quite hate it – I might even think it’s alright. If it requires some really lowest common-denominator heart-string tugging to get people to think about a system that literally lets the weakest and most vulnerable die in the street, then so be it, really.

Oh, and for anyone who thinks I was too harsh on Ratatouille – I really didn’t mean to be. I’m actually eagerly anticipating seeing it (cute rats, Patton Oswalt, what’s not to like?) but come on, Pixar films are usually transparently show-offy with their latest CGI.