Most critics respond warmly to Roger & Me, praising the humour and anger of Moore’s account of Flint after General Motors’ plant closures. The praise centres on his personal connection to the town, his pursuit of chairman Roger Smith and the ironic juxtapositions that expose corporate indifference. The reviews find that black comedy makes the hardship more pointed rather than less serious. Several also value the attention to residents facing eviction or finding desperate ways to survive.
The disagreement concerns how Moore gets his laughs and arranges his evidence, producing a wide spread despite the positive majority. Even a favourable assessment finds the treatment sketchy and simplistic. The New York Times discusses criticisms of factual manipulation and compressed chronology. The New Yorker is the sharp dissent, arguing that Moore distorts history and makes ordinary people targets of ridicule while presenting himself as their political ally.