Radar looks back at the season's biggest disappointments

Labor Day is more than a last chance to down burgers and suds before autumn sets in. It's also a time to reflect on the past three months and all they gave us: Not just warm weather and beach getaways, but also a fresh crop of mindless Top 40 anthems, blockbuster superhero movies, and addictive MTV reality shows.

However, in looking back on this summer's contribution to our cultural oeuvre, we can't help but feel that it was all rather ... meh. Sure, records were broken, the presidential race got off to a preternaturally early start, and a few celebrities had colossal breakdowns. But somehow, nothing quite satisfied. Summer of 2007, we're not angry with you. We're merely disappointed. Below, 10 ways you really let us down:

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10. SICKO
It was a season of cinematic letdowns (witness Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Spider-Man 3), but no film let us down more than Sicko. Remember when you first heard that Michael Moore, fresh off Fahrenheit 9/11's success, was taking on the American healthcare industry? Finally, someone was going to nail those fucks! And not just someone—the guy who made Kmart stop selling ammunition, and who helped set the table for the Republicans' drubbing in the 2006 election. In the HMOs, Moore had a viler villain than Darth Vader and Karl Rove combined. But a film that could have been thrilling and controversial turned out to be restrained and uncharacteristically toothless—which may be why it never became the lighting rod for national debate it should have. Hands were wrung; none were slapped. "He's raised a warning flag that shouldn't be ignored," gushed Salon. But a little over two months later, no one's talking about Sicko except us. This summer, Moore was less.

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9. "UMBRELLA"
It's not that we don't like Rihanna's hit single. There's something strangely satisfying and hypnotic about the chorus—we imagine that, at some point in July, at least 50 percent of the country had the mantra "ella ella" reverberating in their ears. Yet we can't help but think it falls short compared to the truly epic summer anthems of yore. "Hot in Herre," "Crazy in Love," that Abercrombie and Fitch song about Chinese food of dubious quality—these are songs that really told a story. Great summer songs stay with us, forever tied to specific memories of wanton dance parties, public intoxication, and sexual humiliation. Yet as we look back, we can't recall a specific instance where Rihanna really rocked our world. "Umbrella," we like you. A lot, even. But we fear you will ultimately be forgotten, resigned to top billing on Now That's What I Call Music: Volume 49 along with Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman," Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girl," and J. Lo's "If You Had My Love."