YMMV / Bowling for Columbine

• Anvilicious:
  • Midway through there is a segment of America intervening in other countries while ignoring the atrocities those countries were responsible for, and you don't need to watch very far to see where it is going. True enough, it cuts from saying Osama bin Laden had American support to the September 11 terrorist attacks.
  • However, Moore hits on gun violence and the culture around it in his typical blunt way. While guns may be a large symptom, he also cuts deeper and tries to look at the role of the media, the government, and the culture that leads to such violent acts like Columbine.
• Common Knowledge: Trey Parker and Matt Stone objected to the animated segment "A Brief History of the United States of America" on the grounds that it misled viewers into thinking it was their creation, as they claimed it immediately followed Matt Stone's interview and was South Park-esque in animation style and vocals, which is why the duo killed off Michael Moore in Team America: World Police. However, the animated segment has a noticeably different art style from South Park and does not immediately follow the Stone interview but comes about ten minutes later with several other scenes in between. As a result of this criticism the home video release of this film placed Stone's interview later on in the film to avoid confusing people.
• One-Scene Wonder: Marilyn Manson's interview is considered a highlight of the film, particularly since he comes across as the Only Sane Man in it and brings forth some of the more intelligent arguments.
• Signature Scene: Marilyn Manson's interview, widely recognized as the moment that got the general public to see him for the intelligent, eloquent man he was underneath his dark and edgy music and stage persona and the resulting shock-rock bogeyman label that Moral Guardians gave him.
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: Moore clearly intended to set up Charlton Heston as the "bad guy" during his interview at the end of the documentary. However, viewers tend to have far more sympathy for Heston because he was already diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Moore's attempted hatchet-job is also so obvious that even people who might otherwise agree with Moore's political views find it hard to defend him in that moment.

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