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Capitalism: A Love Story

  • 20092009
  • RR
  • 2h 7m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
43K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
23,003
269
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
A TV trailer for Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story
Play trailer0:33
11 Videos
28 Photos
DocumentaryCrimeHistory
An examination of the social costs of corporate interests pursuing profits at the expense of the public good.An examination of the social costs of corporate interests pursuing profits at the expense of the public good.An examination of the social costs of corporate interests pursuing profits at the expense of the public good.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
43K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
23,003
269
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Michael Moore
    • Writer
      • Michael Moore
    • Stars
      • Michael Moore
      • William Black
      • Jimmy Carter(archive footage)
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Michael Moore
    • Writer
      • Michael Moore
    • Stars
      • Michael Moore
      • William Black
      • Jimmy Carter(archive footage)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 198User reviews
    • 215Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 15 nominations

    Videos11

    Capitalism: A Love Story -- TV Spot #2
    Trailer 0:33
    Capitalism: A Love Story -- TV Spot #2
    Capitalism: A Love Story -- TV Spot
    Trailer 0:33
    Capitalism: A Love Story -- TV Spot
    Capitalism: A Love Story -- Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:01
    Capitalism: A Love Story -- Trailer #1
    Capitalism: A Love Story -- A Message from Michael Moore
    Trailer 1:13
    Capitalism: A Love Story -- A Message from Michael Moore
    Capitalism: A Love Story
    Clip 0:53
    Capitalism: A Love Story
    Capitalism: A Love Story
    Clip 0:52
    Capitalism: A Love Story
    Capitalism: A Love Story
    Clip 0:57
    Capitalism: A Love Story
    Capitalism: A Love Story
    Clip 0:54
    Capitalism: A Love Story
    Capitalism: A Love Story
    Clip 0:54
    Capitalism: A Love Story
    Capitalism: A Love Story
    Clip 0:48
    Capitalism: A Love Story
    TV Spot for Capitalism: A Love Story --  "Get Even"
    Promo 0:33
    TV Spot for Capitalism: A Love Story -- "Get Even"

    Photos28

    Michael Moore in Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
    Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
    Michael Moore in Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
    Michael Moore in Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
    Michael Moore in Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
    Michael Moore in Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
    Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
    Michael Moore in Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
    Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
    Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
    Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
    Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Michael Moore
    Michael Moore
    • Self
    William Black
    • Self
    Jimmy Carter
    Jimmy Carter
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Elijah Cummings
    Elijah Cummings
    • Self
    • (as Congressman Elijah Cummings)
    Marcus Haupt
    • Self
    Baron Hill
    • Self
    Marcy Kaptur
    • Self
    John McCain
    John McCain
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Steve Moore
    • Self
    Sarah Palin
    Sarah Palin
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Ronald Reagan
    Ronald Reagan
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Franklin D. Roosevelt
    Franklin D. Roosevelt
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Franklin Delano Roosevelt)
    Bernie Sanders
    Bernie Sanders
    • Self
    Arnold Schwarzenegger
    Arnold Schwarzenegger
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Wallace Shawn
    Wallace Shawn
    • Self
    Chesley Sullenberger
    Chesley Sullenberger
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Elizabeth Warren
    Elizabeth Warren
    • Self
    Peter Zalewski
    Peter Zalewski
    • Self - Consultant
    • Director
      • Michael Moore
    • Writer
      • Michael Moore
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The footage of President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposing a "Second Bill of Rights" was believed to be lost until Michael Moore's film crew rediscovered it in a South Carolina library in 2008.
    • Goofs
      The film depicts a boarded-up house in Bellington, WA; there is no such city in Washington state. It likely meant to say Bellingham, WA.
    • Quotes

      Michael Moore: Do you have any advice for me?

      Wall Street Professional: Don't make any more movies.

    • Crazy credits
      "I sincerely believe... that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies." - Thomas Jefferson, 1816
    • Connections
      Featured in The Jay Leno Show: Episode #1.2 (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Moving On
      from The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

      Words and Music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis

      Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

    User reviews198

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY and the Politics of Fear
    Controversial documentarian Michael Moore has taken on some important news topics over the past two decades but perhaps none has affected every American more than the financial meltdown of Wall Street in 2008 as depicted in Capitalism: A Love Story. Done in his customary style of news clips, interviews, and enactments, he has fashioned a convincing indictment of greedy bank executives while being engaging and at times enlightening.

    He points out a startling fact: We used to be one income family, Wall Street and corporate profits were guided by sound principles, and our country had no business competition. It's a kind of history lesson courtesy of Moore as he also notes parallels between the demise of Wall Street and that of the Roman Empire, a comparison not without merit. His thesis is that since President Ronald Reagan came into office, the influence of Wall Street has increased to the point that, while Congress and the U.S. Treasury have promoted financial deregulation, many of them have direct links to financial giants such as Goldman Sachs. It would seem on surface to be a major conflict of interest, and that is the point. A handful of CEO's have benefited from running the country as a corporation and costing millions of jobs and livelihoods.

    Moore ties news stories to an increasing pattern of corporate greed. There is a juvenile facility in Pennsylvania financed by taxpayer money and corrupt public officials. There are college students beholden to banks with student loans, and we witness news reports of a recent plane crash in Buffalo, New York, for what appears to be the lack of funds for safety issues. Then there is the surprising practice of businesses like Wal-Mart that take out life insurance policies on its employees and collecting on the benefits. By contrast, he does show examples of companies owned by workers that operate efficiently and at a profit. His point is there can be win-win situations.

    As Wall Street sold 'derivatives', a risky form of corporate gambling, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan suggested that Americans tap the equity in their homes, and thus came the refinance boom for banks and a new found wealth for the masses-or was it? Using a home like a bank was a formula for financial disaster as the housing industry collapsed with foreclosures and the banking industry fell too. Moore makes his point with footage of actual foreclosures as sheriffs evict homeowners, and the cruelty is not only losing a home but in the cottage industry that has taken advantage of this agonizing process. Added to this is the preferential treatment that CEO's gave to each other and many lawmakers regarding mortgage approvals. The question that keeps being asked by Moore and others is 'where were the regulators' in all this?

    As Congress debated on how to repair the economy with a bailout of as much as $700 billion of taxpayer money, Wall Street used media abetted fear to manipulate lawmakers. It was a politics of fear. But not everyone was buying into the fear. Some members of Congress were brave enough to tell a sobering tale of a lack of oversight versus corporate bonuses being fed by the bailout.

    Moore shows that some people are fighting back. A new President (Obama) ushers in the potential for change. People are fighting foreclosures and forcing banks to prove chain of title. The laid off workers at Republic Doors refused to exit the factory, and with media coverage and a supportive President, Bank of America caves in and agrees to pay the workers what is owed to them. This event is not without precedent as Moore points out in 1936, workers at a GM Flint, Michigan plant also fought back. In an ironic, fascinating piece of history of what might have been, President Franklin Roosevelt proposed but never lived to see a second Bill of Rights which would address virtually every important concern for Americans including health care, education, and financial security.

    Then Moore makes this observation based on a private corporate memo that says 1% of the population in this country has 95% of the wealth but that the other 99% have an equal vote and the power to make changes (yet still hope to be part of the rich). It is this equal vote that scares the corporate powers. His conclusion is that the only hope for this country is for democracy to work.

    Some things don't come off well in the film; Moore appears to be grandstanding when he rents an armored car to make a citizen's arrest of the CEOs of Wall Street and get back the public's money. He even takes crime scene tape to cordon off bank doors. Also, an interview with actor Wallace Shawn seems a bit out of place. Wouldn't an interview with an industry insider have worked better? You may not agree with everything Moore espouses, but some of the information should cause anyone to research the facts and draw their own conclusions. If you are a fan of his previous films Sicko or Fahrenheit 9/11, then you will appreciate Capitalism: A Love Story.
    helpful•11
    8
    • seaview1
    • Nov 14, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 2, 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Michael Moore Official Website
    • Languages
      • English
      • Russian
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • The New Movie
    • Filming locations
      • Chevrolet Plants, Flint, Michigan, USA
    • Production companies
      • Overture Films
      • Paramount Vantage
      • The Weinstein Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $14,363,397
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $231,964
      • Sep 27, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $17,436,509
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 7 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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