Saving Capitalism

Robert Reich readily admits that this documentary has a provocative title. As Saving Capitalism films Reich on his book tour promoting the book of the same title, he jokes of how, upon seeing the title, those right-of-center question what about the free-enterprise system needs "saving," exactly, while those left-of-center question why anyone would want to even bother saving such an immoral system. Be that as it may, Reich and the filmmakers do an excellent job of showing the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots, the shrinking middle class, how we got here, and what can be done about it. Through personal narrative discussing his career in Washington, D.C., instances of recent American history, and easy-to-understand graphs, Reich goes to the origins of what eventually led to an American system skewed to favor the rich at the expense of average Americans. He is shown as Labor Secretary in the 1990s offering a chillingly prescient prediction of the anger and resentment that develops as the rich get richer and everyone else works harder for less money.

And yet, despite all the doom and gloom, the documentary does offer glimmers of hope. Snapshots of the various protests that have arisen since Donald Trump's election are underscored with Reich connecting the problems of today with the Gilded Age of the 1880s and 1890s, when populist revolts stood up to the economic injustices of that time and eventually won out. He also sees many connections -- at least in terms of concerns over how "crony politics" rig the system -- between progressive protests and the Tea Party protests of 2010. He ends the movie encouraging viewers to get involved in democracy, and even offers suggestions on how to fight for change without becoming discouraged and losing both your hope and sense of humor.