Wow
[UPDATE: Cannes jury defends itself here.]
I'm shocked, but the Tarantino-led Cannes jury has given the top prize, the Palme D'or, to Michael Moore's new film. From the I'm-kind-of-skeptical department, Moore was assured that agreeing or disagreeing with the politics of the film played no role in the award:

"The Cannes recognition of 'Fahrenheit 9/11', he (Moore) said, 'will ensure that the American people will see this movie'. 'I don't know what impact it will have' on the elections, he told journalists, but 'these people (Bush and his officials) have been out of control from the get-go and we as Americans have been responsible for letting that happen'.
[SNIP]
Moore said Tarantino whispered to him on stage, telling him: 'We want you to know that the politics of your film had nothing to do with this award, we are not here to give a political award, on this jury we have different politics and some of us have no politics -- you were given this award because you made a great film.'

I hope he's right that this will help us get the chance to see it. No documentary has won the award in almost 50 years. And reviews I've read seem to agree that, while powerful, it's not as well-made as "Bowling for Columbine."

Also, Frank Rich, who is not a film reviewer but an opinion writer, shares his thoughts on the film in today's NYT.