Radio Talk Show Host Larry Elder’s “Michael & Me” takes a look at not all of Moore’s “anti” themes vaguely, rather, one theme closely, Gun ownership in America. What sets this film apart from some of the other Moore-critical films is that he doesn’t bother discecting Moore’s work scene-by-scene, rather theme-by -theme. The film doesn’t masquerade as a documentary in search of the truth ( with a pre-determined conclusion, like Moore’s films), instead, Edler states very plainly his opinions. Unlike Moore, he goes a step further and shows how he came to have those opinons through vignettes showing true stories of people involved in gun related incidents. He shows the story of a person who was literally saved by protecting themselves with a firearm as well as the story of a person who could have been saved if only they had a firearm available.

Elder invites some well-known pundits to explain how and why the right of gun ownership in America is vital to our safety, including David Hardy, Alan Derschowitz, Eugene Volokh, and David Kopel to mention a few. He also visits with Kenneth V. F Blanchard , author of “Black Man With a Gun”. Blanchard offers an interesting analogy as to why there is such rampant crime in the inner city; He explains that a whole generation of children living in homes with no fathers has led to a “Lord of the Flies” type of atmosphere. In the absence of a father figure, the youth will devolve away from acting civilly towards each other and fear will lead them to lash out at each other because they feel that everyone is a threat, and nobody else will take care of them.

In this film, Elder employs the “man on the street” interview technique, however, with twist. Instead of employing the “find three good looking people who agree with you on a topic to interview, followed by a goofy looking radical person who disagree with you” techinique, he offers a very balanced, one-for-one-against techinque that slices the debate right down the middle. That’s what struck me most about this film. Elder is fair and honest, and despite the reality that this film will probably (although hopefully not) be seen mostly be folks who already agree with him, he doesn’t exploit the situation to take cheap shots at the opposition. He only explains that they are misinformed, and shows where that misinformation comes from.

Only once does the “Sage from South Central” as he is known, veer from this path. He does offer a very funny, yet, very un-needed cartoon where he shows a fantasy interview with Moore. Yeah, I’ll admit it’s fun so see even a cartoon version of Michael Moore get his ass handed to him in an interview, but I was also a little disappointed that Elder didn’t just let the other 85 minutes speak for themselves. If not for the cartoon, (which I will have to forgive, I suppose, since it was so damn funny) this film would be a nearly perfectly delivered argument for the rights of gun owners in America. It is smart, fair, and above all, respectful to the opinions of others, even when they are markedly misguided.

Larry Elder has made a fine film for those who already agree with the rights of gun ownership in America, but for those who are on the fence, this film really clarifies a sometimes murky debate, and makes the case for gun ownership rights an absolute no-brainer.

I’d give 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

To order this film, visit Larry Elder’s website HERE.