Capitalism: A Love Story

Twenty years after putting his passionate voice on film for the first time in the powerful documentary Roger & Me, Michael Moore's impressive career has now come full circle. With his first feature, Moore explored the economic rise and fall of Flint, Michigan, his home town and the former car manufacturing capital of America. Moore's latest movie, the emotionally potent Capitalism: A Love Story, is focused on the economic rise and fall of the entire nation. And yet, for all of its gargantuan ambition and country-spanning gaze, Capitalism: A Love Story is still firmly rooted in small town America, forever tied to the trials and tribulations of discarded citizens pinned down by a greedy government.

Two decades later, Moore's initial thesis remains nearly unchanged. Corporations call the shots and working class citizens sink deeper into the mire, unable to pull themselves free. It's the same point that Moore has made from the very beginning, but somehow, in a rather amazing fashion, he lends his point a sort of hopeful meaning that lets his voice rise above the crowd. It's not merely that his voice is the loudest, but rather that his voice has something interesting to say. There is a genuine worth to his message that matches his passion and the two forces combine to make something special and greatly memorable.

By now, anyone paying attention to satirical cinema is well aware of Moore's approach to documentary filmmaking. He's a polarizing guy and his dedication to dissecting the same themes and ideals ensures that each new movie of his isn't likely to earn him any new fans. Based on that analysis, Capitalism: A Love Story is likely to please existing Moore fans and infuriate his detractors. At the very least, it will probably make Moore haters a tad bit squeamish. So on the subject of recommending this particular movie, I think it's clear that the intended audience is well aware of who they are and everyone else has already made a note to themselves to steer clear.

With Capitalism: A Love Story, Moore is up to his usual tricks, but those tricks tend to be so enthusiastically engaging that I can happily embrace them. The satire is dripping with sarcasm, the archival footage is effectively woven into the narrative, and the sad tales of human hardship are heart wrenching. Moore's ability to rapidly switch gears between comedy and tragedy is on full display in his latest movie and so Capitalism: A Love Story continually hits its mark across a considerable emotional spectrum.

Moore is an expert at pinpointing exactly when to swing, pendulum-like, in a specific dramatic direction. The sad moments never fall to such treacly depths that they begin to transparently unravel and the humorous moments are never pushed so far that they enter the realm of bad taste. In a movie filled with tales of corporate greed and foreclosed homes, locating the right balance between tears and laughter is no small task. But it is in this middle ground that Moore thrives, finding a way to acknowledge the doom and gloom and uncover the hope wrestling within it.

Moore's latest cinematic diatribe tends to be somewhat longwinded and, like so many past Moore efforts, it could be accused of being a tad scatterbrained. The emotional shifts in the movie are poignant, but the rapid changes in the narrative focus are occasionally jarring. After all, the subject that Moore has set his sights on is absolutely huge, a gargantuan topic that encompasses the highest highs and lowest lows of the American economy. There is a lot of space to cover and Moore makes sure to pack as many storylines into his movie as the hundred and twenty-seven minute running time will allow.

But for all of the subject's loftiness, Moore manages to make the most of his message. As I mentioned before, Capitalism: A Love Story is a big story that maintains its connection to small-town America. It is a much larger movie than Roger & Me and yet it operates as a sort of companion piece, a representation of how little Moore has changed and how the continuing power and inspiration of his voice justifies that lack of growth. He's been saying the same things for twenty years and his message still rattles with honesty and burning passion. Michael Moore has come back to his own beginning and this sort of impassioned homecoming is refreshingly welcome.