I will just say in case "SPOILERS WITHIN" -- it's hard to describe the documentary without describing it in some detail, so I'd urge anyone to see it before reading anything about it. Go in open minded. So beware of SPOILERS.
I would only say this movie is unfortunate insofar as Michael Moore made it. There is an extremely important message or rather perhaps story behind it. As to how the economy became what it is, or was, in late 2008 through (now) 2010.
Michael Moore is so left wing, some of the things he's troweling out are untrue or mangled versions of the truth. But there are some very true things going on here as well. It's unfortunate because one can dismiss this documentary as junk left-wing Michael Moore trash, and it's understandable since Michael Moore has made so much of that sort of trash.
This is sort of different. An interesting part is that it's entirely bipartisan in its criticism of the financial sector. Blistering criticism to be sure. He attacks Democrats as well as Republicans -- Robert Rubin, Christopher Dodd, the Clinton Administration, and it goes on. Of course the very far left folks like Dennis Kucinich, Bernie Sander (self described Democratic Socialist) and Marcy Kaptur come off quite nicely, but that is to be expected in a Moore movie. He even manages to crowbar in a reference to the Iraq war from 2002 -- a stretch to say the least.
At one point, among his clownish behavior, Michael Moore prompts Marcy Kaptur into agreeing with his characterization of the TARP bill as a "financial coup d'etat." Which is sort of stupid. Even if you are against the TARP bailout, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan votes, it's not that.
When a movie characterizes events in such extreme terms, the real truth may be overlooked because the extremity is so easy to dismiss. Hence the unfortunate part. To be fair, Moore didn't just follow the rather inane tactic of "blame Bush first, last, and always, for anything and everything." A tactic which over time will become clear that it as silly as it is. He points fingers all over the place, many well placed, though his conclusions are not so well placed.
It really is too bad, that this very important story of the meltdown of the U.S. economy related to sub-prime and Alt-A mortgages, and the practices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and other financial institutions, is being told by Moore, who very much likes himself so much, it gets in the way of telling it.
Having just seen it, I don't think he even mentions mortgage-backed securities (MBS), an extremely important part of the story.
There's a weepy part when a family can't repay the loan they made on their house so it was foreclosed upon. A distressingly common thing happening in 2009 and 2010. But it lacks the basic understanding that banks don't want houses, they want people to pay their mortgages on loans that they were given. And I hate banks to be quite frank, but it's true.
VERY MUCH A SPOILER: Almost at the end, Michael Moore says one of the most stupid things I've ever heard in a movie: "Capitalism is an evil, and you cannot regulate evil." The very system of economics that allowed him to make this unfortunate movie.
I would only say this movie is unfortunate insofar as Michael Moore made it. There is an extremely important message or rather perhaps story behind it. As to how the economy became what it is, or was, in late 2008 through (now) 2010.
Michael Moore is so left wing, some of the things he's troweling out are untrue or mangled versions of the truth. But there are some very true things going on here as well. It's unfortunate because one can dismiss this documentary as junk left-wing Michael Moore trash, and it's understandable since Michael Moore has made so much of that sort of trash.
This is sort of different. An interesting part is that it's entirely bipartisan in its criticism of the financial sector. Blistering criticism to be sure. He attacks Democrats as well as Republicans -- Robert Rubin, Christopher Dodd, the Clinton Administration, and it goes on. Of course the very far left folks like Dennis Kucinich, Bernie Sander (self described Democratic Socialist) and Marcy Kaptur come off quite nicely, but that is to be expected in a Moore movie. He even manages to crowbar in a reference to the Iraq war from 2002 -- a stretch to say the least.
At one point, among his clownish behavior, Michael Moore prompts Marcy Kaptur into agreeing with his characterization of the TARP bill as a "financial coup d'etat." Which is sort of stupid. Even if you are against the TARP bailout, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan votes, it's not that.
When a movie characterizes events in such extreme terms, the real truth may be overlooked because the extremity is so easy to dismiss. Hence the unfortunate part. To be fair, Moore didn't just follow the rather inane tactic of "blame Bush first, last, and always, for anything and everything." A tactic which over time will become clear that it as silly as it is. He points fingers all over the place, many well placed, though his conclusions are not so well placed.
It really is too bad, that this very important story of the meltdown of the U.S. economy related to sub-prime and Alt-A mortgages, and the practices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and other financial institutions, is being told by Moore, who very much likes himself so much, it gets in the way of telling it.
Having just seen it, I don't think he even mentions mortgage-backed securities (MBS), an extremely important part of the story.
There's a weepy part when a family can't repay the loan they made on their house so it was foreclosed upon. A distressingly common thing happening in 2009 and 2010. But it lacks the basic understanding that banks don't want houses, they want people to pay their mortgages on loans that they were given. And I hate banks to be quite frank, but it's true.
VERY MUCH A SPOILER: Almost at the end, Michael Moore says one of the most stupid things I've ever heard in a movie: "Capitalism is an evil, and you cannot regulate evil." The very system of economics that allowed him to make this unfortunate movie.