Capitalism: A Love Story

Film evenings begin with optional potluck refreshments and social hour at 6:30 pm,
followed by the film at 7:30 pm, followed by a discussion after the film.

CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY
by Michael Moore

By returning to his roots, professional gadfly Michael Moore turns in one of his best films. His target is less capitalism qua capitalism than the banking industry, which Moore skewers ruthlessly, explaining the economic meltdown of 2007 in terms a sixth-grader could understand. His real targets are shady practices in the banking, investment, and mortgage industries, how bad an idea it is to hire executives from those industries to run the economy at the governmental level, the greed that wealth breeds, and ultimately, the catastrophic effects all of this has on the average American as the middle class steadily shrinks.

Moore tells us that capitalism is both un-Christian and un-American, an evil that deserves not regulation but elimination. No doubt he had concluded all this in advance of making this film, but no matter. There is something energizing and moving about the sight of him setting out to prove it all over again. Like some shambling Columbo, he amasses the evidence, takes witness statements from the victims, and then starts doorstepping the guilty parties. But this time the culprit is much bigger than General Motors, and the crime scene far wider than Flint, Michigan. From Middle America, to the halls of power in Washington,, D.C., to the global financial epicenter in Manhattan, Michael Moore will once again take film goers into uncharted territory. With both humor and outrage, he explores a taboo question: What is the price that America pays for its love of capitalism? Years ago, that love seemed so innocent. Today the American dream is looking more like a nightmare as families pay the price with their jobs, their homes, and their savings. Moore takes us into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down; and he goes looking for explanations in Washington, D.C. America, happily enthuses a leaked Citibank report, is now a modern-day “plutonomy” where the top 1% of the population control 95% of the wealth. Does Barack Obama’s election spell an end to all this? Moore has his doubts, pointing out that Goldman Sachs – depicted in this film as the principal agent of wickedness – was the largest private contributor to the Obama campaign.

It’s the emotional stories, along with calls to action, — as a matter of patriotic duty and as confirmation of our love of democracy — where the film shines. The film isn’t just about pointing fingers at those who have gotten us into this mess, but about mobilizing working people to stop waiting for someone else to fix it, and to stop sitting idly by while their wages, pensions, health care, and their very homes are stolen from them. In this respect, Moore is at the top of his game, and at the very least, his film may spark some much needed conversations about America’s problems among the people who are affected most by economic strife, and who have the least real power.

Wheelchair accessible around the corner at 411 28th Street

$5 donations are accepted