In the twenty years since his first documentary, Roger & Me (1989), Michael Moore’s fervour to defend the little man has not diminished. Returning to the domain of corporate greed, Capitalism: A Love Story highlights Moore’s ability to entertain, inform and preach.
This documentary affirms Moore’s continuing disgust at the state of the USA’s economic institutions, and the players who manipulate them. Love him or hate him, Moore is a genre of documentary unto himself. You can’t walk into the cinema and not know what is coming – Moore is surely the most recognisable face and voice in modern documentary making.
Taking the stance that Capitalism (in its current incarnation) and Democracy are incompatible bedfellows, Moore uses his standard formula of filmmaking to weave a narrative of the excesses of corporate America. His point is pretty firmly made when during the filming (which started in 2008), the economic crisis firmly kicks into gear and the full horror of the sub-prime mortgage system is exposed. Using humour, personal accounts of suffering, localised examples of greed and stupidity and of course stunts, the documentary covers varied facets of Capitalism.
The documentary’s full power is diminished by the fact that Moore can no longer be seen as the lone anti-establishment voice in America. Labelled by his own website as ‘The most feared filmmaker in America’, Moore needs to recognise that he is now working in an America that is full of dissenters. Moore has definitely brought mainstream attention to an underappreciated form of filmmaking, and has opened the door for politically driven documentaries. Some of them being; The Yes Men (2003), Wal-Mart: The Cost of Low Price (2005) and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) all examples of powerful films which examine aspects of the dominant economic discourse. These documentaries thrive on locking onto specific targets, pushing home their message.
Unfortunately Capitalism is too broad a topic to eviscerate in 127 mins. Capitalism: A Love Story is by no means a failure; it is both funny and clever. But it lacks the forcefulness expected from the Michael Moore brand. Spreading itself too thin, the film’s impact is diluted by too many diverging focuses. Lacking the fluidity of his earlier films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko, Moore’s dots are too widely spaced to be connected.
Moore has long been an excellent provocateur, committed to fight for a more egalitarian society in America. Yes he is prone to a bit of preaching here and there, but as his plea at the end of Capitalism: A Love Story shows he is waiting for his audience to join in. You have to wonder how Moore measures success; he has cracked the mainstream reaching a large international audience and has received critical praise winning an Academy Award and Palme D’Or, but the America he is raging against gets greedier and greedier.
Australian Release date 5th November
Director: Michael Moore
NB: Moore offered free screenings to the homeless and jobless in America’s hardest hit cities.
