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by Monika Bartyzel Posted:September 14th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
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Yes, it’s time for another Michael Moore movie. In fact, this might just be his last documentary, as Moore has expressed an interest in moving to fictional films. For now, however, we get his ode to the big money men of our age, and believe it or not, “Capitalism, A Love Story” is not as incendiary as you might expect (unless you’re a big-time bank CEO). It plays out like an entertaining but infuriating look at that thing we call capitalism, and the economic crisis that has plagued us all. Read on for more capitalism…
The thing that has always irked me about Michael Moore is his tendency to mix the sensational into the message. A point that’s dead-on and truthful will come across the screen, only to get tainted by his antics and come off no stronger than his weakest points. In “Capitalism,” however, it all goes down easier. There is spectacle – no Moore film would be complete without it – but he doesn’t have to stretch for information. He doesn’t have to be too creative with the content because the political ridiculousness is already there. And, more importantly, the understanding audience is a whole lot bigger.
This isn’t a story of Flint, of high school shootings, Bush dirty business, or health care. It’s capitalism. It’s baring the struggles we’re all facing within the U.S. and world-wide. The film is entering a social climate where most of us dealing with the economic fallout, and are angered by it. We’re not, in any way, removed from this Moore topic, and in some ways, it makes all the difference.
There’s a lot to infuriate you, even without the classic Moore antics. We’ve got Wal Mart buying life insurance policies on their workers, who get large payouts while the families of these employees struggle to pay the bills. And this bubbles out into a larger big corporation mentality where these policies are called “dead peasant” insurance. There are privatized juvenile detention centers where detaining youths becomes the primary goal, no matter what their crime. And how about pilots who fly the planes we take across country … They only make 17-20k per year – less than a Taco Bell manager.
There is no shortage of hair-raising information in “Capitalism, A Love Story,” but it’s still delivered with classic Moore style. There’s an old Encyclopedia Britannica film that’s used to compare the downfall of Rome to modern-day America, some thundering “O Fortuna,” some snazzy Cleveland jingles, and most perfectly, a film clip of Ronald Reagan that’s sure to bring laughs with its audaciousness.
But capitalism is too big a beast to really investigate in-depth, and as you can surmise, this isn’t a balanced commentary. The pic finds its villains — they are the banks, bailouts, and people who’ve created communities of empty repossessed homes – and ravages them. We can’t really expect Moore to dig into both sides – that’s not his style – but it does make for a film that plays to our current passions. And that makes a film that will probably succeed as long as we struggle with them.
The value of “Capitalism, A Love Story” is not in the moviemaking, it’s in the message, and the release that it gives to those struggling right now. In the future, the movie probably won’t hold as a piece of classic filmmaking, but right now it will hit you in the gut, make you angry, and make you laugh.
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Why does Moore hate America? I bet his birth certificate is fake….
hate america? are you serious? why do you excuse the abuses and injustices of our country? are you blind or just ignorant? why does criticism equate hate? do you just accept american taxpayer $$$ being used to bailout private companies? is that democratic? privatize the profits and socialize the losses?? what is that? capitalism is not america. you have it twisted. wake up homey. we’re all getting screwed!
Why does Moore hate America? I bet his birth certificate is fake….
hate america? are you serious? why do you excuse the abuses and injustices of our country? are you blind or just ignorant? why does criticism equate hate? do you just accept american taxpayer $$$ being used to bailout private companies? is that democratic? privatize the profits and socialize the losses?? what is that? capitalism is not america. you have it twisted. wake up homey. we’re all getting screwed!
does moore have a bag of money behind his back, while he waves the liberal flag? you bet he does. capitalism has worked for him quite nicely.
does moore have a bag of money behind his back, while he waves the liberal flag? you bet he does. capitalism has worked for him quite nicely.
4ee the movie “Stock Shock-the short selling of the American dream”
4ee the movie “Stock Shock-the short selling of the American dream”
I prefer “Stock Shock” which lets the viewer decide about stock market corruption
I prefer “Stock Shock” which lets the viewer decide about stock market corruption
“In fact, this might just be his last documentary, as Moore has expressed an interest in moving to fictional films. ”
Um, I think he did that long ago. Just because he shoots in documentary style does not mean that you can trust much, if anything, that he says.
“In fact, this might just be his last documentary, as Moore has expressed an interest in moving to fictional films. ”
Um, I think he did that long ago. Just because he shoots in documentary style does not mean that you can trust much, if anything, that he says.
“The cleverest thing the devil ever did was convince us he doesn’t exist.” That’s what the rich have done in America. Instead of seeing that our government works for rich instead of poor people, we’re encouraged to fear each other: blacks versus whites, gays versus straights, union versus nonunion, natives versus immigrants. I am glad we’re waking up to the fact that health care, education, affordable housing, etc. are human rights because they’re human needs. If food was only affordable for the rich we’d have riots. It’s time we join the othe civilized countries of the western world and make this a county for everyone, not just the rich.
“The cleverest thing the devil ever did was convince us he doesn’t exist.” That’s what the rich have done in America. Instead of seeing that our government works for rich instead of poor people, we’re encouraged to fear each other: blacks versus whites, gays versus straights, union versus nonunion, natives versus immigrants. I am glad we’re waking up to the fact that health care, education, affordable housing, etc. are human rights because they’re human needs. If food was only affordable for the rich we’d have riots. It’s time we join the othe civilized countries of the western world and make this a county for everyone, not just the rich.