Moore Sends Mixed Messages on Possible Reception of "Sicko"

Even by the standards of a Michael Moore movie, the publicity surrounding his latest, Sicko, which attacks the U.S. healthcare system and opens June 29th, has been prodigious. The buildup began when the film was acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival; then, it was revealed that the U.S. Treasury Department is investigating Moore on the grounds that his trip to Cuba documented in the film might have been illegal; then, Moore enlisted the support of nurses' organizations that support universal health care; now, he's screened the movie in an overwhelmingly Republican district in his home state in order to rally Democratic support there. The notoriously modest Moore has sent curiously mixed messages on how he thinks his movie will be received. On the one hand, he has announced, "I am anticipating the onslaught of attack"; on the other hand, he added, "My hope in this film was to reach out across the great divide that exists in this country and say you know, those on the other side, who may disagree with me, can't we find some common ground on this issue? We're all Americans".