Capitalism: A Love Story Grade: B+
We’re all pretty familiar with Michael Moore, his movies and the shenanigans he likes to pull on screen. From the shock factor stunts like rabbits being clubbed to death in “Roger and Me,” to his reputation as being an instigator, it is hard to live in the United States and not be familiar with the filmmaker.
In his new movie, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” we see much less of Moore and a good deal more of the rising issues in the economy. With clever editing and dry, humorous narration, Moore shows us what he sees as underhanded happenings and injustices in the United States. The film focuses on the highly emotional and thought-provoking stories of many individuals but also had some of the antics typical of Michael Moore. The movie is stuffed with stories and examples of things that many don’t know are happening in their own country or that are happening at a greater rate than expected.
At the beginning of the film, Moore poses a question to the audience: “How will our society be remembered?” Will we be remembered by the millions of viral videos posted to YouTube? Or, Moore’s film asks, will we be remembered as the society who beat down the doors of people’s homes to evict them? Moore also gives a loose definition of capitalism as “a system of taking and giving — mostly taking.” It soon becomes clear that what Moore means by “capitalism” isn’t necessarily the system we learned about in our high school economics class, but rather the dark, greedy kind that Moore sees — the one he believes ousted people from their homes and attempts to suck workers dry to turn a pretty penny.
If you catch this movie, you won’t be watching two hours of Michael Moore trying to break into buildings to antagonize people (he only does this a few times, and just enough that you won’t get sick of him). From an entertainment stand point, the movie is pretty stable; the film is visually engaging and there is a great original score and there are parts of the movie that will just crack you up. It feels as though it runs a little long, but had it been any shorter, we would not have heard all of the issues Moore has with “Capitalism.” And if you’re thinking that because this is a Michael Moore movie you’re going to get heaps of twisted and biased information, don’t be so quick to assume. Moore brings up valid issues like children being sent to juvenile detention centers with virtually no trial because the judge was being paid for every bed she could fill or “dead peasant” insurance policies, which are life insurance plans taken out by companies with the expectation that a certain percentage of their employees will die and they will turn a profit.
Michael Moore’s message of the evils of capitalism is pretty obvious, and as the emotions of the subjects run high, you’ll find yourself getting a little worked up as well. Be sure to catch this proactive and entertaining flick, if not for the important message, then for Michael Moore and his shenanigans.
