Capitalism: A Love Story | 
 enlarge | Artist: Michael Moore
Director: Michael Moore
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.98
Buy New: $9.79
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Rating:  195 reviews
Sales Rank: 671
Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Running Time: 127 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 013132136592
UPC: 013132136592
EAN: 0013132136592
ASIN: B0030Y11XS
Theatrical Release Date: 2009
Release Date: March 9, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Moore examines the conflicts of American democracy and unchecked capitalism, and how the combination led to the mortgage crisis of 2008.
Amazon.com
Michael Moore's didactic documentary style is actually a source of inspiration in Capitalism: A Love Story. This film, which explores the history of incongruence between American capitalism and democracy, is evidently a culmination of Moore's lifetime of research into this topic: he begins the movie by admitting his longstanding interest, rooted in childhood experiences in Flint, Michigan. As a result, the film displays an expertise that is less irritating than in Moore's earlier works, in which various loopholes can be found in one-sided presentations (see Bowling for Columbine). Here Moore employs his trademark tactics to make a satirical documentary that functions as a film-based, grassroots political strategy meant to provoke revolt. Consisting of patched-together clips from various eras and media outlets, the film weaves a narrative that underscores Moore's argument that while America is a success because of its democracy, it has been denigrated by capitalism, which he calls "a system of taking and giving, mostly taking." Capitalism: A Love Story is a patriotic call to arms that seeks to ignite rage in the viewer who is tired of political stupidity resulting in poverty and hardship among a dwindling middle class. It begins by tracing the growing gap between the rich and poor, from the Depression through the 1950s "free enterprise" boom. Using clips of FDR and Jimmy Carter warning against greed and inequality, Moore shows how gradually Americans came to accept Reaganomics, corporate corruption, then Bush-era swindling over time. This history serves as context for his explanation of the housing crisis, the collapse of banks, and Bush's covert, last-ditch efforts to pass sketchy bills on the cusp of Obama's election. Moore asks several lawyers, senators, and bankers, "What the **** happened?" and each offers intelligent assessments of situations that many American viewers still struggle to comprehend. Unfortunately, there are corny Moore moments throughout the film, such as when he takes an armored truck to various banking headquarters and harasses security guards to let him in to reclaim money stolen from the American public. Clips of Bush dancing juxtaposed with shots of people crying because they've lost their homes are melodramatic and only weaken Moore's arguments. Like Robin Hood, Moore seeks justice, but his greatest strength is as a translator between those speaking a complex political language and his viewers. Capitalism: A Love Story, while it does have a condescending tone throughout, does much to relay a complicated history that we all need to know for the sake of our own empowerment. --Trinie Dalton
Stills from Capitalism: A Love Story (Click for larger image)
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 195
It's good and it pushes the agenda. September 6, 2010
John Alapick (Wilkes-Barre, PA United States)
Whether or not you agree with Michael Moore's opinions, his movies are always worth seeing and Capitalism: A Love Story is no exception. Going in, you have to realize that Moore has an agenda and his goal is to persuade you to see his vision. He does this primarily with his creative use of the camera, dramatic music, and showing heart wrenching scenes of despair. What makes him a good filmmaker is that he also digs deeper into the issues. While some of these issues are well known (1% of the world having most of the wealth, record corporate earnings partly achieved by massive layoffs, stagnation of wages), further issues such as the poor wages of airline pilots, credit default swaps, and company insurance policies on their employees while listing themselves as the beneficiary are far more disturbing. Moore plays both the political card and morality card to the hilt throughout, especially with his anti-George Bush stance. The examples of justice such as the Chicago factory workers fighting to get the money owed to them when their company closed provide a nice touch and show what can happen when you unite and fight for what's right. Also on display is the usual Michael Moore ridiculousness (armored car and citizens arrest scenes) that always drops his movies down a notch from a true documentary. All told, watch the movie and remember that it's just that. If you want a fair documentary, watch Frontline.
In-your-face Examination of a Doctrine. September 5, 2010
Bill (Shoreline, WA USA)
This is a harsh examination of a doctrine that has gone unchallenged and unquestioned for far too long. The principles of Capitalism have indoctrinated every aspect of American life: from education (elementary school through college) to economic principles (virtually every economic activity) to our very way of life (our lives are driven by consumerism and prosperity).
By examining the details and real-life consequences of Capitalism, this movie puts a spotlight on how utterly ridiculous, unfair and unsustainable this doctrine is. Capitalism inevitably leads to the concentration of power and wealth in a select few (a different group of "select few" than the royalty of medieval times or the rulers of Roman and Greek times) at the expense of the rest of humanity.
 The Real Deal September 5, 2010
Howard M. Kindel
I had previously considered "Bowling For Columbine" to be Michael Moore's masterpiece; but after watching "Capitalism: A Love Story" I must relegate that earlier work to second place. "Capitalism: A Love Story" is a truly exceptional piece of work, superbly crafted and outstandingly effective; it strips the mask off Capitalism so leisurely and non-chalantly, yet so completely, that only the most die-hard proponents of that monstrously overrated economic system can still claim to accept it at face value or see it as anything other than the most insidious and pervasive system of exploitation of the poor by the rich ever devised. Above all else, it lays bare once and for all the simple-minded notion of "Free Market." As Mr Moore shows, this "Free Market" is bought and paid for lock-stock-and-barrel by the super rich; the "market" is no more "free" than the gold bars languishing in a bank vault.
It is, in fact, precisely the banks that Mr Moore uses as his wedge to pry open the capitalistic bag of tricks being foisted continually on an unsuspecting and uninformed public. While he presents the "Bank Bailout" as the enormous fraud it actually was, he goes beyond that to present the entire spectrum of capitalistic activities as one big fraud after another. He makes perfectly clear what the public once understood then quickly forgot as they became more affluent; namely, that it was the labor movement and not the largesse of the rich that created the middle class. Now that the labor movement is all but dead, the real nature of the American people's relationship to the capitalistic paradigm is beginning to reveal itself once again. And it isn't pretty.
Mr Moore's "Achilles Heel" as a filmmaker has always been a tendency to overplay the pathos inherent in the anecdotal stories of people who have been stripped of their livelihood, their homes and their dignity by the system. I credit him, this time, with knowing when to stop short of languishing too long on the pathos, focusing instead on the larger picture of thousands, even millions, of people getting stuck permanently with the short end of the big "trickle down" stick because of their foolish but carefully sublimated belief that they, too, can become as rich as the super rich.
This documentary achieves one other, ironic if unintended, goal: it gives the lie to documentarian Alex Jones' spurious contention that Michael Moore is a dupe of the bankers. Jones contends that, because Moore did not suscribe to the idea that "911" was an inside job in his "Farenheit 911," he is ipso facto a pawn of the bankers. Far from being a pawn, though, Michael Moore, in his "Capitalism: A Love Story," deals more expeditiously with the bankers than all of Alex Jones' films put together - and does so without straying into the realm of pure conjecture. Which is precisely why Moore has managed to preserve his credibility, whereas Jones - an equally gifted documentarian - has all but squandered his.
"We've become very religious in worshipping greed" August 25, 2010
Stephen Pletko (London, Ontario, Canada)
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Citigroup (a major financial services company based in New York) declared in 2005 and 2006 that:
"The U.S. was no longer really a democracy but had become a plutonomy, a society controlled exclusively by and for the benefit of the top 1% of the population who now have more financial wealth than the bottom 95% combined."
(Democracy is a political form of government where governing power is derived FROM THE PEOPLE.)
The above fact is found in this eye-opening documentary written by, directed by, produced by, and starring Michael Moore. Moore is an American film maker, author, and liberal political commentator.
This film focuses on the financial crisis of (2007 to 2010) and the recovery stimulus. It examines the current economic order in the United States and capitalism in general.
(Capitalism is an economic system where the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit.)
General topics covered in this film include:
(1) Wall Street's "casino mentality"
(2) for-profit prisons
(3) Goldman Sachs' influences in Washington, DC. (Goldman Sachs is a very financially successful global investment banking and securities firm)
(4) the poverty level wages of many workers. (Example: why do we have an economic system "that allows a pilot to be paid less than a manger at Taco Bell?")
(5) the large number of home foreclosures. (A foreclosure is a legal procedure that may require forced sale of property.)
(6) the consequences of "runaway greed."
There is even a religious component to this documentary. Here, Moore examines whether or not capitalism is a sin and if Jesus would be a capitalist!!
Yes, this film has Moore's sometimes corny humour but I feel this film will leave viewers with much to ponder and debate.
Be sure to watch the end credits. Interspersed between them are facts and quotes. My two favourite quotes are:
(1) "I sincerely believe...that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies." (Thomas Jefferson, 1816)
(2) "It's class warfare, my class is winning but they shouldn't be." (Warren Buffet, world's richest person, 2007)
This documentary has grossed over sixteen million dollars as of the date of this review.
Finally, the DVD (the one released in 2010) is perfect in picture and sound quality. It has several interesting extras.
In conclusion, this is an unforgettable and sometimes shocking documentary. Moore concludes at its end that "Capitalism is evil." I DISAGREE. If you're a member of the top 1% of the population who are filthy rich, capitalism is a "blessing."
(2009; 2 hr, 7 min; wide screen; 28 scenes)
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exposes the deception of the American people August 22, 2010
Dream's Raven (USA)
I love Michael Moore. I know his work is completely biased, but I tend to agree with him and his personality makes it just so enjoyable I can't help but love his movies. This film was by far one of his best, looking at the recent economic collapse through the eyes of people who have had their homes foreclosed, interviews with politicians, footage from the news and a number of other sources. It showed the financial crisis to be at once a national problem and a persoanl struggle. I loved the scene in which Moore rents an armored truck and drives up to the banks on Wall Street to ask them to return the bailout money. He's humorous and gutsy, exactly what we need right now. I recommend watching the deleted scenes, especially the one with Christopher Hitchens. I wish he would have looked at the negative effects of American capitalism on other countries, but I suppose that would have been too much to fit into this film.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 195
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