'Sicko' On Life Support

Health Care: Moviegoers who were urged to "send a message" by seeing Michael Moore's "Sicko" have stayed away in droves. Now the film that was supposed to spark a health care revolution is barely breathing.

Few movies have gotten as much free advance publicity as "Sicko." Seemingly endless media coverage predicted it would change the terms of the health care debate, galvanize a public sick of the nation's broken health care system, bust down industry roadblocks to real reform. The New York Times said the movie "was likely to have broad political impact."

Its producers treated "Sicko" like a political campaign, tapping Clinton administration veteran Chris Lehane to run the publicity effort. Moore was everywhere prior to its release, testifying before Congress, heading up rallies and mounting publicity stunts, like inviting 900 health care lobbyists to a special screening.

All this -- combined with a muscular advertising campaign, the fact that Moore had a certifiable hit in 2004 with "Fahrenheit 9/11" ($119 million in box office receipts), and the supposed mood of the public -- should have guaranteed the success of "Sicko." As Moore put it, "Every time I make a film, it breaks the last record."

But a funny thing happened on the way to the Moore-inspired national uprising: "Sicko" is bombing -- financially and politically. After three weeks in wide release, it has managed to scrape together just $15.8 million in box office receipts. For most documentaries, that would be a notable take. But given the expectations, this is an enormous failure.

Box Office Mojo, which tracks ticket sales, notes that the movie will struggle to match "Bowling for Columbine," Moore's ill-fated call for stricter gun control laws.

Democrats, meanwhile, are stepping back from the movie's main message -- that the nation's health care system is so corrupt that only a complete government takeover will suffice.

As the Los Angeles Times put it, "'Sicko' is creating an awkward situation for leading Democratic presidential candidates." "Instead of greeting the film with hosannas or challenging it head-on," it said, "(they) have sidestepped direct comment." And shortly after the movie opened, the Washington Post headlined a story "For Democrats, Pragmatism on Universal Health Care."

All this has left Moore acting more unhinged than usual. He was last seen losing it on CNN, which had the temerity to run a piece challenging Moore's "Sicko" facts. There he was, pathetically yelling at Wolf Blitzer about how unfair the network has been to him and insinuating that CNN is in the pocket of Big Pharma.

The demise of "Sicko" has created a real opportunity for opponents of socialized medicine to grab hold of the health care issue and champion reforms that actually will appeal to Americans -- more freedom of choice for consumers, more competition, less costly red tape, real liability reform.

As we've argued in the past, we're in a war over the future of health care. Moore and his troops launched the first salvo, and it failed. Now it's time for a credible counterattack.