If Michael Moore was a musician, “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Sicko” would be his multi-platinum studio albums, while “Slacker Uprising” would be his lackluster live effort.

Like many live albums, the film follows Moore on his 62-city Slacker Uprising 2004 tour, his unofficial get-out-the-vote tour for John Kerry during the last presidential election.

Moore was convinced that the youth, who are traditionally political “slackers,” would be the key to Kerry’s victory. This film documents Moore’s effort to get more young people involved in the political process, especially the Kerry campaign.

A majority of youth who voted in 2004 did vote for Kerry, and this may in part be due to Moore’s efforts. However, the movie tries to be inspirational, and with the knowledge that Kerry lost the overall election, many of Moore’s points are moot.

Like his other films, Moore’s own footage is interspersed with news clips and personal testimony to create a partisan collage of America. The themes that defined his earlier work are still present in earnest. Moore’s hatred of President Bush, the media and the Republican Party still shine through almost all aspects of the piece.

However, Moore doesn’t really add anything to the argument that he has already sufficiently made in his previous movies.

Where “Slacker Uprising” truly fails is in its lack of organization. The film almost completely abandons the structure of his earlier work, replacing it with the loose, unpredictable structure of a 1970s variety show. It has numerous musical numbers and mediocre guest stars like comedienne Roseanne Barr, who fails to amuse a hefty portion of the on-film audience.

A select few of these musical numbers make for some of the strongest moments in the movie. Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam’s infamous frontman, delivers an inspired acoustic cover of Cat Stevens’ “Don’t Be Shy,” while Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame delivers an uncharacteristic acoustic performance.

These pleasant musical interludes do little more than break up the monotony of speeches — and sometimes they don’t even do that.

When R.E.M. and Anti-Flag take the stage, it is only to deliver more speeches, not to play any of their hits. While the appearance of these very political bands is fitting, especially in a youth-heavy setting, the lack of musical performance is quite disappointing.

Moore’s first-person narration is also absent, making the film feel much less personal than his previous works. Combined with the amount of footage that shows Moore being mobbed by his adoring public, this causes the film to feel a bit like a self-congratulatory pat on the back.

The film does have some redeeming moments. The documentation of the attempts to ban Moore from speaking on certain college campuses is interesting if nothing else.

The scenes in which Moore recognizes veterans and their family members are the only parts of the movie that come close to having any real emotional substance.

The unusual distribution method of “Slacker Uprising” is one of its most distinctive aspects. Rather than releasing the movie in theaters, Moore offers the film as a free download or a streaming video on his website (www.slackeruprising.com).

Moore has also encouraged public screenings of the film to support political candidates or causes. Naturally, Moore himself encourages young people to vote for Barack Obama in the upcoming election on the film’s website.

While it is not an unheard-of practice among amateur filmmakers or major musicians, this is the first release from a filmmaker of Moore’s stature to be released in this manner. In a press release, Moore stated that this film was a gift to his fans for their support during the past 20 years.

The experimental digital distribution method raises several new problems that traditional films do not have. “Slacker Uprising” is offered as a download in different file formats, but the quality of the film varies greatly between formats. While the quality in some of these formats is perfectly fine, the video is choppy and nearly unwatchable in others.

For a filmmaker with two decades of experience like Moore, this is a sloppy, disjointed work that almost certainly would have not lived up to expectations at the box office.

Unfortunately for Moore’s viewers, this is one gift that many will want to return.

— Contact Tim Webber.