Bowling for Columbine (2002)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A documentary filmmaker investigates the cultural and systemic roots of gun violence in America by exploring the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.
The story
Bowling for Columbine is a documentary film that explores the primary causes for the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and other acts of gun violence in the United States. Director Michael Moore focuses on the background and environment in which the massacre took place, examining common public opinions and assumptions about related issues. The film investigates the nature of violence in the United States, including American violence abroad, and seeks to explain why the U.S. violent crime rate, especially concerning firearms, is substantially higher than that of other nations.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Michael Moore explores the causes of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and broader American gun violence. He interviews various figures, including Matt Stone, Charlton Heston, James Nichols, and Marilyn Manson, to discuss the climate of fear and the role of the media and government. The film includes a segment where Moore visits a bank in northern Michigan that gives away free hunting rifles. It features a montage of American foreign policy decisions and a comparison of gun ownership and violence between the U.S. and Canada. Moore also examines statistics on gun violence in other countries like Germany, Japan, and France to challenge the idea that violent history or media are the sole causes. A significant portion of the film involves Moore taking two Columbine survivors to a Kmart headquarters to claim a refund for bullets lodged in their bodies, resulting in the company phasing out handgun ammunition sales. The film concludes with an interview with Charlton Heston at his home, where Moore presents a picture of a young girl killed in a school shooting.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United States; Canada; Germany
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michael Moore
- Writers
- Michael Moore · writer
- Cast and characters
- Michael Moore · narrator
- Genres
- documentary
- Themes
- gun violence; media influence; government fear-mongering; American foreign policy
- Tone and mood
- unnerving; stimulating; funny; disquieting
- Premise and plot tags
- documentary; political; social commentary; crime
- Source material / true-story basis
- Causes of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999
- Content notes
- language
- Reception
- A critical and commercial success, the film was widely considered one of the greatest documentary films of all time, earning overwhelming positive reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 95% · review count: 173; Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 0–100 · review count: 32
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Documentary Feature · 2003 · Winner; César Award · Best Foreign Film · 2003 · Winner; 55th Anniversary Prize · Cannes Film Festival · 2002 · Winner; VPRO IDFA Audience Award · International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam · 2002 · Winner; International Documentary Association (IDA) · Best Documentary of All Time · 2003 · Winner; Most Popular International Film · Vancouver International Film Festival · 2002 · Winner
- Production trivia
- The film was voted the third most popular film in the British Channel 4 program The 50 Greatest Documentaries of all time in 2005.; The film broke box office records internationally, becoming the highest-grossing documentary in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Austria.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…