 I’ve often said to those who may have adverse comments, views, or dislikes for Michael Moore’s style of documentary presentations, “If only 50% of what he is presenting is credible, we’re in trouble”. With careful examination, I’ve come to realize it’s not the content so much as it’s Michael Moore and how he presents it. Adjectives such as egotistical, flamboyant, manipulating, heavy handed, and even mistruths are used. I’m reminded of the same references often made to “60 Minutes”….
 It’s the 20-year anniversary of his first documentary, “Roger & Me” (1989) which focused on General Motors and his hometown of Flint, Michigan. When one examines the focus of his documentaries, a surprising factor becomes apparent: whether one agrees or disagrees, they are issues that should be highlighted and addressed. The list and issues include “Sicko” (2007) the health care system, “Fahrenheit 9/11” (2004) agendas after the World Trade Center attack, and “Bowling for Columbine” (2002) the on-going issue of gun control.
With “Capitalism: A Love Story”, his focus is on the dominance of the corporate influence on the everyday lives of Americans, and by default, the rest of the world. With his basic theme throughout his documentaries of “Who are we and why we behave the way we do”, he takes his camera crew to ordinary people to capture their hardships, to Washington DC/government and the New York corporate giants for answers to the question of how did we, the most powerful country in the world and with the most dynamic economic structure of capitalism, find ourselves in such economic ruin and on the edge of a depression.
As always with Michael Moore’s documentaries, looking past the flamboyant and ambush style, you’ll walk away with the basics and a lot of food for thought on just how we as a country got into the economic situation we find ourselves in today. After all, isn’t that what a documentary’s intent is really all about…
Written and Directed by Michael Moore; Rated PG-13 for brief strong language; Overture Films release; Runtime: 120 minutes. |
