Michael Moore’s documentaries are entertaining, informative, and always controversial. His best, like Roger and Me and Bowling for Columbine, hold up, even years later. Moore’s searing indictment of the greed and unregulated chaos that has ruled our way of life since Ronald Regan was elected president, Capitalism is a must-see. Moore’s clear-eyed and unrelenting push at truth is filled with entertaining montages, signature Moore theatrics, and a tragic sense of doom and irony. Starting out by visiting desperate Americans on the verge of being evicted from their homes, and tracing the roots of our economic downfall, Capitalism is a wide-ranging and often insightful journey. Moore is hated by many of the very people who he’s trying to help, hard-working Americans who are guided by Glenn Beck and his crew on Fox News instead of factual information. A good many republicans and the Fox News crowd won’t see this movie, but anyone who works for a living really should give it a shot. It’s an eye-opening experience.

The DVD has a nice transfer and is loaded with extras and featurettes. Some are more for politically-minded viewers who don’t mind a rambling tone while there are others that feature scenes that were probably cut from the movie becuase they slowed the pace down. The best is a talk with Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren about Wall Street and how they got away with it. These features are (for the most part), both informative and entertaining.

The funniest scenes in the movie involve Moore’s signature theatrics trying to get in to see the president of GM or going to Wall Street to get the bank bailout money back for the American people. The most shocking scenes involve a secret life insurance policy, a vile and possibly illegal thing called a “dead peasants” insurance plan that many companies (including my beloved Walmart) take out on employees without their knowledge. From tragedy to comedy to political intrigue Capitalism has something for everyone. Republicans take a beating but Nancy Pelosi and her fake liberal crew from the left coast also get a well-deserved smackdown. Capitalism ends on an oddly hopeful note, and it’s one of the best documentaries of the year. The fact that it wasn’t nominated for best documentary at the Oscars is pathetic. Packed with extras, Capitalism: A Love Story is a DVD well worth owning.

Grade: A-

DVD Special Features:
Note: Exclusive Bonus Material Written and Directed by Michael Moore
Sorry, House-Flippers and Banks- You’re Toast in Flint, MI
Congressman Cummings Dares to Speak the Unspeakable
The Omnivore’s Dilemma? It’s Capitalism
The Rich Don’t Go to Heaven (There’s a Special Place Reserved for Them!)
How to Run the Place Where You Work
Commie Taxi Drivers – “You Talkin’ To Me?” – in Wisconsin
What If, Just If, We Had Listened to Jimmy Carter in 1979?
The Socialist Bank of – North Dakota?
The Banks Kick Them Out, Max Kicks Them Back In
NY Times Pulitzer Prize Winner Chris Hedges on the Killing Machine Known as Capitalism

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