Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

Michael Moore's new documentary about the economy is a tad long at 2:07, but the last half hour, for the most part, is the best and picks up the pace. That's when he gets back to some of his signature comic stuff. No need to rush out for a big-screen viewing of this, unless you want to see it before it goes out of date--some of it already was by the time we saw it last week (you may have seen in the trailer his trying to serve the management of AIG with a citizens' arrest for their spending their bailout money on bonuses, aircraft, vacations, etc.). As usual, Moore talks to suffering citizens with sad stories, politicians (both with him and against him), and confronts "the man" (i.e. anyone in authority). On the twentieth anniversary of his documentary about General Motors, Roger & Me (1989), Moore returns to GM, which is oh, so pertinent to this story as well. Sicko (2007), about health care, was Moore's funniest and least combative (some people deplored his going after Charleston Heston, then National Rifle Association President, in Bowling for Columbine (2002), as Heston was 79 and frail at the time). This one won two prizes at the Venice (Italy) Film Festival in September of this year, with one other nomination. Love him or hate him, Moore always has something to say (rumor has it he's working on fiction these days), and I don't mind being in the choir to whom he preaches.