Capitalism: A Love Affair

Ever since his first film, Roger and Me, Michael Moore has been trying to get into the General Motors headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. In his newest film, Capitalism: A Love Story, he tries one last time to get inside with his cameras for an interview with the CEO. To no avail.

Well in an ironic twist of fate, General Motors went bankrupt during post-production of the film. GM was taken over by the government and Moore's good buddy Barack Obama (heard of him?) became CEO by default. As luck would have it, Moore would not only gain entrance to the GM headquarters, he would screen his new film inside them!

Marcy Kaptur is right on the money. And to make another shameless play on words, I must say that buying a ticket to see Capitalism is a great investment--worth it's weight in gold. It was one of the more enjoyable movie theater experiences I've had all year. I laughed, I shrieked, I fumed, and I cried. There aren't too many films today that can make someone feel so depressed and yet so inspired.

The film begins with a brilliant comparison of our current state of the nation to the fall of the Roman Empire, with Dick Cheney of course playing the role of 'evil emperor.'

He's so creeeeepy!!

Moore then goes on to talk about how much better we had it in the years following WWII, when people didn't complain so much about paying their taxes, and those tax dollars actually went towards creating jobs and infrastructure. "Then came along Debbie Downer," Moore says over a speech by President Jimmy Carter. People didn't seem to like his bleak messages of doom and gloom, warning us of our greedy, unsustainable and excessive lifestyles.

Enter Ronald Reagan, the capitalist cowboy who went from the wild west of Hollywood to the even wilder Wall St. and Washington. Moore's portrayals of Reagan and Bush go from the being funny to downright ridiculous. He shows a line graph attributing everything from the rise in unemployment and a spike in the sales of antidepressants to Reagan's deregulation policies. While his facts are true, he won't let you believe anyone else had anything to do with it. He receives most of his criticism for being so exaggerative, sensational, biased and leftist. But I think that's part of what make Moore's films so much fun to watch. He always has an ax to grind and he does it with such conviction, eloquence and style. He's a spiteful bastard and God bless him for it. He can take the most depressing realities about our country and make just enough fun of them that you almost forget they are real.

I'd talk more about the film, but I really urge you to go see it if you can find it playing anywhere. Besides being very enjoyable, it's also informational, dealing with some really important issues of our day. Check out his website, MichaelMoore.com, and see how you can get involved.

Also, what's your take on Capitalism? If you love it, how can we improve it? If you hate it, how can we replace it? If you think its fine just the way it is, you should probably get your head checked. And then watch this movie.