Many people think that the films of Michael Moore swing too far to the left in their political and social thinking. Bob Bowdon takes us in a diametrically opposite direction in "The Cartel," which opens here today. This film is a right-wing, libertarian diatribe against public schools and for charter schools, using New Jersey to prove the old statement, "Nothing is too abhorrent that it cannot serve some purpose, even just as a bad example."
Bowdon has worked in a variety of television jobs, including the Bloomberg network and The Onion, admittedly a satirical site, for which he made up "news and features."
Bowdon's technique is simple. He finds bad behavior among school administrators in New Jersey and uses it to blast administrators in the other 49 states. It is certain that there has been misuse of funds in school systems (and oil companies and auto manufacturers and bankers, too) but to level this sort of blanket indictment is a little much. Further, he claims that the complete solution lies in charter schools, though we know, that like public schools, there are good ones and not-so-good ones.
Using a lot of undated film clips, mostly from archival footage, Bowdon lines up many talking heads with their own axes to grind, whether from New Jersey or elsewhere, and lets them rant. And it just isn't very interesting, either.
Opens today at the Plaza Frontenac.
–Joe