Capitalism: A Love Story

Review by Rob McKinnon
(10/3/09)

Opening Day: 10/2/09
Running Time: 127 minutes
Written & Directed by Michael Moore

I have recently viewed a screening of Michael Moore's latest politcal documentary, "Capitalism: A Love Story." Moore has definitely found his "laughing place," and comfort zone in the creating of this type of documentary hybred; a mixture of serious political documentary reportage and humorous to outright funny, satirically political vignettes. No exception here in what I personally consider to be his most entertaining work yet.

The film skewers the investment houses and banks that have, under the guise of free-market capitalism, given in to the basest instincts of what I call the MFA-ification of American capitalism. I truly believe that the founders of this incredible nation, arguably naively, created both our political and economic systems which gave great freedom while expecting ethical and responsible participation by citizens. We all know how corruption upon corruption has left us with a chaotic, unproductive, inefficient, bloated, and possibly collapsing political system. The MGA-ification of the economic shpere has led to a complete lack of ethical behavior, with only the monthly dividend, grotesquely inflated executive salaries and bonuses, profit over quality or concern for consumer safety as the primary considerations.

Rather than create products or services of value, the business and finance corporations would rather create arcane instruments and methods for creating huge profits through what amounts simply to gambling. Derivatives anyone?

Moore's film will show you some of the ways the current band of unethical financial bandits, who have and are running much of our broken economy, brought us to this point. Moore also acts as our ombudsman, confronting the perpetrators and challenging them to explain and justify what they have done, (they can't) and demanding restitution for the American people.

It's all done with humor and some exageration, and it's all very entertaining. Depressing, but entertaining. It brings to mind the old movie trailer line, "You'll laugh, you'll cry." But don't miss it.