Movie Review: Michael Moore's 'Capitalism: A Love Story' Documents Greed at Its Most Repulsive

If there were step-by-step directions for How to Ruffle Republicans' Feathers, film documentarian Michael Moore would be the Technical Writer of the Year. In his latest film, "Capitalism: A Love Story," he questions capitalism on Wall Street, American International Group, Inc. (AIG), major banks like Chase and Bank of America, the foreclosure crisis, Hurricane Katrina and health care.

Most of the information in this film was topics I was already aware of, but a couple topics surprised me. I was dumbstruck by the salaries of airplane pilots and how the Bush administration manipulated the House of Representatives into passing the AIG bailout. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur gave in-depth details about how the Bush administration used fear and bribery to get AIG out of debt. My eyes widened while listening to her outspoken demand to Americans: "So I say to the American people, you be squatters in your own home." Michael Moore also filmed a family who did just that with the support of their neighborhood. The "squatters" results weren't what I expected.

Michael Moore had countless impressive interviews and some disturbing ones too, including the Condo Vultures, who sold homes of condo owners who couldn't keep up with the mortgage loans. There was joy in one of the Condo Vultures representatives' voice when he stated, "3400 foreclosures...gotta love it" as though people being kicked out of their homes was great news.

But Michael Moore didn't stop there. He gave moviegoers painful lessons in how student loans have affected the health care industry and Wall Street; why a pilot would be on food stamps; why President Ronald Reagan wasn't baffled when Merrill Lynch's Donald Regan told him during a speech, "You're going to have to speed it up"; and how the auto industry has changed in America, Germany and Japan. "Capitalism: A Love Story" showed footage of the strike at Chicago's Republic Windows and Doors and how America reacted to these workers standing up to Bank of America.

But the most disturbing part of the movie was not the topics previously mentioned, the AIG bailout, the farm family who got $1,000 to clean out the home they were being evicted from, how 6,500 nonviolent children went to a juvenile detention center hidden under the title "PA Child Care," the Friends of Angelo (F.O.A.) predatory lending scheme, the Reagan and Bush presidential failures, when America fell apart on September 15, 2008, or Moore's daring take about how Jesus would respond to capitalism. Although each of these situations could send the average person into a state of depression and horrified me too, I still had a little bit of hope in American humanity. That was until I heard the horrific information about how employers make profits off of employee deaths--specifically young women--through "dead peasant insurance." Families told stories about companies who'd made thousands and millions of dollars from a loved one's death while leaving the spouse and children with nothing. That footage made me never want to shop at Walmart again.

And just when I was ready to leave the theater and head to the nearest airport, Michael Moore brought some good news. I was incredibly impressed by the way Alvarado Street Bakery was run, once again reminding me of the power of being an entrepreneur and democracy. Michael Moore always takes on topics that make me wonder how he manages to stay out of prison for telling the truth about the government and the rich getting richer, but what I appreciated most about "Capitalism: A Love Story" was that Moore gave answers. "Capitalism: A Love Story" didn't end by saying, "We're screwed." It ended with what he wanted more Americans to do-rebel and fight for democracy.

The most useful and educational film I've seen all year, this movie gets five out of five stars.