“Capitalism” isn’t quite love at first sight

“Capitalism: A Love Story”

Starring: Michael Moore

Director: Michael Moore

Studio:… “Capitalism: A Love Story”

Starring: Michael Moore

Director: Michael Moore

Studio: Overture Films

Grade: B-

It’s hard to talk politics right after viewing a Michael Moore movie. He just always seems so damn right.

Ever since “Roger and Me” in 1989, Moore mastered persuasion through juxtaposition. And 20 years later, the same filmmaking shows itself in Moore’s newest film, “Capitalism: A Love Story.”

He connects images of children crying to bankers foreclosing homes. He references bank robbers to express how the banking institutions are stealing our money and how we want to steal it back. His use of archival footage from the 1950s reminds viewers that these archaic institutions with outdated messages still operate in today’s so-called modern world.

Moore’s use of editing used to be new, visionary and almost propagandized.

But after 20 long years, maybe Moore’s methods are becoming a bit stale.

As Moore becomes a bigger star, each documentary he makes is less about the society we live in and more about how this lone filmmaker from Flint, Mich., tries to stand up to the big guy.

“Capitalism” works like every other generic documentary does — interviews with people affected by capitalism, interviews with people mooching off capitalism and scenes of Michael Moore being oppressed by “the man”.

It’s all about the fight between good and evil, the conflict between Michael Moore, the hero, and capitalism, the despicable villain.

As in every Moore-made film, after all of the dirt has been revealed, there is usually some big stunt that is so outrageous that we can only sit and stare. For example, some of his other movies show Moore bringing sick Americans to Cuba for health care or trying to get a refund from K-Mart for bullets in the bodies of Columbine shooting victims.

When all is said and done, though, Moore’s big original act of rebellion is absolutely pathetic. There is nothing profound or thoughtful in Moore’s actions. They’re just a bunch of fruitless shenanigans.

Granted, Moore’s film styling might just be getting old, but taking on the entire system of capitalism is something better left to a committee of economic geniuses than two hours of film.

There is no need for a documentary to remind America of how horrible its economic system is right now.

Moore’s documentaries used to work as wake-up calls to society. But now the master of montage can only tell us what we already know to be true — we’re all screwed up.