Filmmaker Michael Moore continues his act as a gadfly in the new documentary “Capitalism: A Love Story.”
Viewers of his previous films such as “Bowling for Columbine” and “Sicko” either love him or loathe him, with good reason of course. Moore has a knack for asking the right questions and pushing the right buttons.
In this film, he addresses the pitfalls of capitalism in America, how it has created corruption and greed in our nation, including high office. As the divide between the rich and poor widens, Moore reasons it is the consequence of the elite circulating money among themselves and the deregulation of the financial system.
Former presidents like Bill Clinton and especially Ronald Reagan are chastised for selecting officials from financial firms to be Treasury Secretary, depicting the infiltration of self-absorbed financial gurus acting in self-interest within the government.
A good portion of the documentary briefly covers many topics: too many to delve deeply into a specific one.
Commercial airline pilots are interviewed about their dangerously low wages, affecting their livelihood, and also their ability to fly.
Cameras follow victims of home foreclosure who lost their homes after being duped into refinancing their homes.
Widows explain how the death of their loved ones translated into profit for employers such as Wal-Mart through “dead peasants” insurance.
The latter half of the movie covers a specific issue and is sure to get a viewer’s attention. It covers the recent government bailout of financial institutions and the motive behind it. To Moore, the word bailout is simply a cover-up for robbery. Blame is spread among government officials from both parties and those who run banks.
Never failing to personally visit the culprits in his documentaries, Moore heads to Wall Street demanding that banks and investment firms return the taxpayers’ money.
The film culminates with a clip of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressing the nation on his proposal for the Second Bill of Rights. These rights would have guaranteed a job, home, health care and education to all U.S. citizens.
The film displays Moore’s talent as a filmmaker. He knows when and what music to use in the background of both emotional and funny sequences. His witty sense of humor fits perfectly into the film, bound to evoke laughter and applause from the audience.
With any documentary come contradictions and biases. Moore, who speaks out against gun control in “Bowling for Columbine,” ignores it in this film. Only those who agree with his views and support his cause are interviewed, but not one person who sees it differently appears on the screen.
“Capitalism” is an entertaining film that any liberal would enjoy. If you are looking for an objective documentary, look elsewhere.
Nevertheless, a lot can be learned from this film and it sure is thought provoking.
The message of the film is sound and clear: capitalism is evil. It is the root cause of the problems facing America today, and the powerful elite purposely fail to act. Moore does not offer a planned solution, but he asks the audience to speak up and take the power back.
3 and a half stars
out of 5.
***
