By Brendan McLaughlin

When was the last time you saw a movie where the audience applauded?  They did at a recent screening of Michael Moore's "Sicko" at Channelside. Almost unconsciously, my hands came flying off the armrests, but I was able to stop myself before clappage occurred, thus preserving my journalistic impartiality.  But I loved it and can't stop thinking about it.  "Sicko" is  funny, infuriating and informative. The anecdotal case of an uninsured man sewing up his own sliced knee with cotton thread may speak more to his mental capacity than to our healthcare system, but the scene of an illness plagued couple (with insurance)  bankrupted by co-pays and deductibles and forced to move into their adult child’s guest room is heartbreaking.

You may not buy Moore’s characterization of the U.S. healthcare system as a Dickensian nightmare or his idealization of the Canadian and European systems.  But if you don’t leave the theater convinced  that our profit driven healthcare system is a disgrace, you probably sat through “Ratatouille” by mistake.  If you can’t stomach anything Michael Moore has produced, take 20 minutes and read this phenomenal essay on the subject.