History Film / CapitalismALoveStory

* {{Technobabble}}: Moore portrays modern economics as largely nonsense by {{Quote Min|e}}ing Wall Street experts explaining advanced concepts like derivatives and credit default swaps while he hams up the {{Faux Horr|ific}}or and feigned confusion.

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: 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 [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_socialism democratic socialism]]) sounds surprisingly good. But by the same token, Moore largely equates "capitalism" to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finance_capitalism finance capitalism]], particularly the speculation-market-focused casino capitalism subtype, which even many defenders of capitalism[[invoked]] consider TheScrappy of capitalist economic systems.

* ChekhovsGunman: The film features appearances from UsefulNotes/BernieSanders and Elizabeth Warren before they were nationally prominent (in Warren's case, before she even held public office). Both would later be major nominees for president during the 2020 American election cycle (with Sanders also being a nominee in the 2016 election). Moore would become a prominent Sanders booster during both of his presidential campaigns.

* ChekhovsGunman: The film features appearances from UsefulNotes/BernieSanders and Elizabeth Warren before they were nationally prominent (in Warren's case, before she even held public office). Both would later be major candidates for president during the 2020 American election cycle. Moore would become a prominent Sanders booster during both of his presidential campaigns.

* ChekhovsGunman: Features appearances from UsefulNotes/BernieSanders and Elizabeth Warren before they were nationally prominent. (In Warren's case, before she even held public office.) Both would later be major candidates for president during the 2020 American election cycle. Moore would become a prominent Sanders booster doing both of his presidential campaigns.

* HarsherInHindsight: In-universe, Michael Moore shows a clip from his first documentary ''Film/RogerAndMe'', 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.
* HidingBehindReligion: 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 ''Series/JesusOfNazareth'' with [[GagDub edited dialogue]] appear to show what UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} would be like as a capitalist:

''Capitalism: A Love Story'' is a 2009 documentary, by Creator/MichaelMoore. Twenty years after attacking General Motors in ''Film/RogerAndMe'' Moore documents the (he argues) detrimental role that [[UsefulNotes/EconomicTheories 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.

* ChekhovsGunman: Features appearances from UsefulNotes/BernieSanders and Elizabeth Warren before they were nationally prominent. (In Warren's case, before she even held public office). Both would later be major candidates for president during the 2020 election. Moore would become a prominent Sanders booster doing both of his presidential campaigns.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Capitalism as a whole is criticized, so this is a given.
* HarsherInHindsight: In-Universe, Michael Moore shows a clip from his first documentary Film/RogerAndMe where he discusses with Tom Kay the possibility that all the General Motors 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, and by then, almost all the GM factories in Flint had shuttered.
* HidingBehindReligion: 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 ''Series/JesusOfNazareth'' 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?

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: stock footage of UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt explaining his "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bill_of_Rights 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.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Film/RogerAndMe'', to the point that this film could actually be considered a sequel.
* {{Technobabble}}: Moore portrays economics as nonsense by {{Quote Min|e}}ing Wall Street experts explaining advanced concepts like derivatives and credit default swaps while he hams up the [[FauxHorrific Faux Horror]] and feigned confusion.
* ThatPoorCat: In the scene replaying President Bush's September 24, 2008 [[http://articles.cnn.com/2008-09-24/politics/bush.transcript_1_markets-financial-assets-economy?_s=PM:POLITICS Our Economy Is In Danger]] speech, animation in the background (by [[http://www.flickerlab.com 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.
* YouKeepUsingThatWord: Politicians 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 [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_socialism Democratic Socialism]]) doesn't sound too awful. On the other side of the coin, Moore seems to largely equate "capitalism" to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finance_capitalism Finance Capitalism]], particularly the speculation-market-focused Casino Capitalism sub-form (which even many defenders of capitalism consider TheScrappy of capitalist economic systems).

* ChekhovsGunman: Features appearances from UsefulNotes/BernieSanders and Elizabeth Warren before they were nationally prominent. (In Warren's case, before she even held public office). Both would later be major candidates for president in during the 2020 election.