Score: 4 out of 10
I've always had something of a love/hate relationship with Michael Moore's work. While I usually agree with his political views and his more rational conclusions, I take issue with how his films make their points. Moore is more showman than documentary filmmaker. He's a video columnist with a flair for painting a very bold and entertaining, albeit one-sided, picture.
With Capitalism: A Love Story, Moore's bag of usual parlor tricks don't work the way they used to. It's as if he's relying on the American public's anger over the economic mess we're wading through to power interest in his film. Of course, a certain element of that is fine and true--it's just too bad the film doesn't have too much to say on it's own.
Capitalism begins with a family being evicted from their home. This is the first of several examples Moore gives to try and prove that capitalism has gone awry. He might have something there--unless your bank account regularly reads over six figures, chances are you see the disparity in this country between the "haves" and the "have-nots." It's also easy to make the argument that corporate America and their chase for bigger and bigger profits have helped lead us into the economic mess we're in right now.
But those points are simplistic; one would and should expect more from a documentary that supposedly explores the dark side of capitalism. To be sure, though, Moore's intent isn't so much exploration as it is condemnation. While he puts some emphasis on the growth of financial market influence in America as well as how the wealthy's tax responsibility has decreased steadily since the Reagan administration (in direct proportion to the the decline of the middle class), his argument is more emotional than intellectual.
I suppose that's to be expected on some level from a Moore film, but it's vastly disappointing that few economists or financial experts take the screen. There's even one incredibly bizarre sequence where Moore trots out a series of priests (including the one who married him and his wife) to argue the immorality of capitalism. While terms like "derivatives" and "credit default swaps" are brought up (but with no real explanation except to stress they're complicated), they are quickly dismissed for Moore's parlor tricks, including going to Wall Street to ask for the American taxpayers' money back.
In the end, Capitalism feels like "Capitalism for Dummies." Moore does little to explore the reasons behind the highest unemployment and foreclosure rates in generations. The funny thing is, as anyone who has read Michael Lewis' "The Big Short" or heard any of the several incredible shows on the subject produced for NPR's "This American Life" knows, there's a really compelling story to be told in film on the greed of Wall Street, including insane and inconceivable financial products that don't feel like they should be legal.
Capitalism: A Love Story is a wasted opportunity. While occasionally entertaining, it feels as if Moore has little faith in his audience's ability to understand what's at the heart of the mess and instead spoon feeds them info that fits neatly into a simplified reality--the rich get richer while the poor suffer; Wall Street suits are greedy, et al. Throughout the film, Moore makes the argument that the power is still in the hands of the people through the ability to vote. The problem is a certain level of knowledge and intellectual curiosity is necessary to choose good leaders and create a positive impact--unfortunately, Capitalism provides little of either.
