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Film / Capitalism: A Love Story

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"This is Capitalism. A system of taking and giving... mostly taking."

Capitalism: A Love Story is a 2009 documentary, by Michael Moore. Twenty years after attacking General Motors' anti-worker policies in Roger & Me, Moore documents what he believes to be the detrimental role that Neoliberal-Neoclassical policies and big business play in our lives, how they caused the Great Recession, and how it will take people demanding change, and not compromising or giving in, for anything substantial to upset the status quo.


Tropes Are:

  • Capitalism Is Bad: This documentary sets out to argue against Capitalism as its writers understand it, going as far as to equate it with sin.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: Capitalism in general is criticized, so this is a given.
  • Harsher in Hindsight: In-Universe, Michael Moore shows a clip from his first documentary Roger & Me, where he discusses with General Motors' Tom Kay the possibility that all the GM jobs in Flint, Michigan could be lost if GM wanted to avoid bankruptcy. Four months before Capitalism was released in the US, GM declared bankruptcy, by which time almost all the GM factories in Flint had shuttered.
  • Hiding Behind Religion: The film presents many crooked businessmen as doing this, claiming their ill-gotten gains as a gift from God, while a Catholic priest argues that capitalism is incompatible with the teachings of Christianity (Moore is an active Catholic). To drive the point further, clips from Jesus of Nazareth with edited dialogue appear to show what Jesus would be like as a capitalist:
    Rich man: Master! What must I do to have eternal life?
    Jesus: Go forth and maximize profits.

    Israelite: You say the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. But when exactly will it be?
    Jesus: When you deregulate the banking industry.

    Man with palsy: Please help me. I've been this way for over 20 years.
    Jesus: I'm sorry. I cannot heal your preexisting condition. He'll have to pay out of pocket.
  • Historical Domain Character: Stock Footage of Franklin D. Roosevelt explaining his "Second Bill of Rights" appears in the the film, leading to discussion of how his death a year later hindered legislation for economic, health care, and arms reduction reforms.
  • Spiritual Successor: To Roger & Me, to the point that this film could actually be considered a sequel.
  • That Poor Cat: In the scene replaying President Bush's September 24, 2008 "Our Economy Is in Danger" speech, animation in the background (by Flickerlab) shows the White House wrecked by earthquakes, tidal waves, fire, lightning and hurricanes, which blow a yowling cat through the air right behind ol' El Presidente.
  • You Keep Using That Word: Conservative politicians and pundits love using the word "socialism" to describe any kind of reform or program as a negative. But Michael Moore picks up a dictionary and speaks with Senator Bernie Sanders, and finds that socialism (or at least democratic socialism) sounds surprisingly good.

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