Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

An examination of the social costs of corporate interests pursuing profits at the expense of the public good.

Director:

Michael Moore

Writer:

Michael Moore

Stars:

Michael Moore, William Black, Jimmy Carter

4 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
William Black	...	Himself
Jimmy Carter	...	Himself (archive footage)
Elijah Cummings	...	Himself (as Congressman Elijah Cummings)
Baron Hill	...	Himself
Marcy Kaptur	...	Herself
John McCain	...	Himself (archive footage)
Michael Moore	...	Himself
Sarah Palin	...	Herself (archive footage)
Ronald Reagan	...	Himself (archive footage)
Franklin D. Roosevelt	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Franklin Delano Roosevelt)
Bernie Sanders	...	Himself
Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Himself (archive footage)
Wallace Shawn	...	Himself
Chesley Sullenberger	...	Himself (archive footage)
Elizabeth Warren	...	Herself

Storyline

Capitalism: A Love Story examines the impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world). The film moves from Middle America, to the halls of power in Washington, to the global financial epicenter in Manhattan. With both humor and outrage, the film explores the question: What is the price that America pays for its love of capitalism? Families pay the price with their jobs, their homes and their savings. Moore goes into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down; and he goes looking for explanations in Washington, DC and elsewhere. What he finds are the all-too-familiar symptoms of a love affair gone astray: lies, abuse, betrayal...and 14,000 jobs being lost every day. Capitalism: A Love Story also presents what a more hopeful future could look like. Who are we and why do we behave the way that we do?

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Plot Keywords:

capitalism | discontent | american culture | global economic crisis of 2008 | plutocracy | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Crime | News

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language

Details

Official Sites:

Michael Moore Official Website

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Spanish

Release Date:

2 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

The New Movie

Filming Locations:

Chevrolet Plants, Flint, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$231,964, 27 September 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$14,359,793, 13 December 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Overture Films,Paramount Vantage,The Weinstein Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min 105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Scenes included in the "Special Features" section of the DVD release:

• 1. Dan Kildee, elected treasurer of Genesee County, Michigan (which contains Flint), interviewed by Michael Moore about his practice of seizing homes being used for real-estate speculation on the basis that their absentee owners are not maintaining them, then tearing them down and putting in gardens in their place.
• 2. An extended interview with Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) in which he considers whether an alternative economic system to capitalism is needed.
• 3. Interview with author and former New York Times war correspondent Christopher Hedges on "the killing machine known as capitalism."
• 4. Extended interview with Father Dick Preston on how and why capitalism violates the basic moral tenets of Christianity and the world's other major religions.
• 5. The complete speech to the nation former President Jimmy Carter made on July 15, 1979, calling for a massive federal program to change from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources and also asking Americans to accept and embrace energy conservation (this speech has gone down in history as Carter's "malaise" speech--though in fact he never used that word.)
• 6. Interview with Michael Pollan, UC Berkeley professor and best-selling author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma," on how capitalism affects the food supply and where the real profits in food are made (in processing rather than growing).
• 7. Interview with Fred Schepartz, Rebecca Kemble, Brian Hill, Brian Warneke and Karl Schulte, employee-owners of the cooperatively owned Union Cab Co. in Madison, Wisconsin.
• 8. Interview with Prof. Tom Webb, expert on worker cooperatives.
• 9. Profile of the state-owned Bank of North Dakota with political scientist Dr. Roxanne Emerson Junker.
• 10. Extended interview with attorneys Max Rameau and his partner Bernadine of Take Back the Land in Miami, Florida, which organizes resistance to foreclosures and helps families keep their homes.
• 11. Trailers.
• 12. Credits.

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Goofs

Moore claims the word capitalism isn't in the US Constitution. This wouldn't be possible anyway since the Constitution was drafted in 1788 and the first recorded English use of capitalism wasn't until 1792.

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Quotes

Rich Man: Master! What must I do to have eternal life?
Jesus: Go forth and maximize profits.

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Crazy Credits

After Moore asks the audience to rise up with him, the screen shows: "To find out how much you're worth to your boss dead go to www.deadpeasants.biz"

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Episode #24.4 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing)
Written by Louis Prima
Performed by James Horner
Courtesy of Hollywood Records

User Reviews

hits the right notes

The only criticism is that Moore fails to draw the distinction between economic systems and political ones. Capitalism, socialism, communism are systems for organizing economies. Each of these could be democratic, in that the people get to vote for laws, policies and actions of their government.

Capitalism is often linked to "free enterprise" conflating it with freedom. It's really about the right to own property and make money from exploitation of the work of others. It is built on a system of credit and interest charged for capital and money.

Communism has not private ownership of factories and the means of production, and no interest or credit. Presumably the economy is run by and for the people, not the managers or owners of the means of production.

Socialism is also has the means of production owned by the state which is the people. The state provides for rights such as housing, health care, a job and education.

And then there are mixed economies as well. Moore's film underscores the immoral nature of capitalism which places wealth over human needs. he shows how the system has been rigged for the wealthy who always come out on top, don't even play fairly and have workers believing that the system will reward them for hard work. But he shows this is a lie.

His point is that is 95% voted they could turn the system into a just one. He's an optimist on that. The public has few options in elections and they are consistently gamed and stolen, and government officials accept LEGAL bribes from anyone so their constituency is the ones with the most money not the ones with the most votes.