Niklas' blog

Despite the Michael Moore-isms here, e.g. comparisons with “Europe”, the cheap tricks, e.g. trying to force his way into banks to get his monies worth as they’ve squandered tax-payers’ cash, this film works. Mainly as a wrecking-ball of sorts, as I mostly deem this film as a vehicle to get to Americans, not to reach the global market. Which it incidentally does; the world economy is not very much unlike the American one, as we’re all victims of globalisation and corporations becoming bigger than governments. Moore’s strength lies in simplifying stuff and using humor and tragedy in parallel to reach his goal, to display how the richest people in America get more and more money while the working class, the people at the bottom and those beyond that are trampled on in the name of Money. Even though I think Moore tramples logic in the face by trying to show how capitalism is anti-christian and hence bad (as I deem christianity to be just as bad, if not worse than capitalism), I feel this is a film that is current and worthy of watching – albeit with two open eyes, a critical mind and a will to delve further into politics and other ways of living.

We get an American judge who earns millions of US Dollars per kid he sentences to months of jail-time for piffle crimes, stats on the world, e.g. that the top 1% of the population controlling more financial wealth than the bottom 95% combined, and Moore wonders where the $700 billion bailout money which Congress gave to the big banks and Wall Street investment companies went.

It’s a flawed film, but entertaining, funny, tragic and horrible; mainly, it makes me want to react, rebel and illuminate myself further, and there’s no wrong in that. Like Zack de la Rocha once said: your anger is a gift.

Related articles

• Q&A: Why Michael Moore Hates Capitalism (time.com)
• Capitalism: A Love Story Clips (cinemablend.com)
• Dan Siegel: Michael Moore’s Grapes of Wrath (huffingtonpost.com)