Maxed Out

I think this movie was wonderful and shows not only as individuals are we not responsible with your credit (in some cases because were are unable to get the basics due to our salaries) but it shows how we as a society feed on the poor in a variety of ways. It shows how our materialism as gone out of control.. HOUSES WITH ELEVATORS? This need

to have "things" no matter what the cost is quite sad. I cried with the moms in the film talking about their kids, and what credit card debit as done to new college students.

It was scary and informative... Now excuse me while I go check my credit rating!

This documentary gives an excellent explanation as to why so many people are in debt. It starts out with us riding along with a real estate agent in Las Vegas. People are obsessed with material things, and we all want to have more than we have.

But what the film does is explain how the banks and financial institutions have preyed upon the masses, especially the lower income families and young people who don't have a good understanding of how to manage money.

You'll see how families have been ruined by credit card debt and how insidious this game has gotten. If anything, this movie will make you question why we don't teach every child in America how to manage their money before they graduate high school so that they don't get caught in the credit card trap.

I think this movie is a must see for everyone, so they can understand why 10 percent of our society holds 2/3 of all the wealth in America and why the rest of us in the 90 percent can't seem to get ahead!

I can think of no better day than today to review this excellent documentary. You see, today is the day after Thanksgiving 2008; what many call "Black Friday." It is the day many of us sink further into debt buying crap our friends and family probably don't need nor want. Couple that with a destabilizing economy and you've got serious issues to think about. The question we need to ask ourselves is "why?" Why do we feel the need to spend more than we make (or may ever make)? The tough answer is here in MAXED OUT, writer/director James D. Scurlock's first feature length documentary.

I think many of us know the answer but simply refuse to acknowledge it: we want to keep up with the Jones'. They have a new car, we need a new car. They have a new washer/dryer, we need a new one. It is a cycle being perpetuated by the credit industry and we, the consumers, have been drawn to it like moths to a flamethrower.

Maxed Out gives us insights that should make one angry and fearful. Predatory lenders like MBNA, Capitol One, and other credit card companies target those that are least likely to be able to afford credit. Why? Because these are the people who max out their cards then pay the minimum monthly amounts until ...either bankrupt or death do them part. It's a marriage made in Hell and it continues to this day. College students who enter a new campus are likely to find tables set up near their dorms offering sign ups for new credit cards. Why? Again, because they can't afford it (sadly these are the people who end up in the worst situations, often dangling from their necks in dorm room closets).

Add to this fact that we are now in the worst financial/debt crisis in U.S. history (end of 2008) and is there any wonder why? George Bush and his buddies at MBNA passed a new law that puts tighter restrictions on filing for bankruptcy, making those who really need assistance the least likely to get it (but it's okay to spend 700 billion taxpayer dollars to bail out banks that caused this debacle). Heinous. And do the credit card companies have to answer to anyone? Morally or ethically? Not that I've seen.

This is a documentary well worth your while. And at a quick 89 minutes, it won't eat up a lot of your precious time ...like those credit card bills will.

You cannot pick up the paper these days without seeing another story of how the middle class is disappearing. Soon, we will fit in two categories - "rich" and "barely making it." One of the big problems has been the ease with with credit is given and the hole people fall into when they take advantage of easy credit.

This film shows that the credit companies actually want those who are just getting by to use their cards because they make a killing on late fees and higher interest. They don't want to prevent bankruptcies, because they can get you hooked again as soon as you file. The predatory practices of the mortgage lenders is also displayed.

What was not a surprise was the revelation that a member of the current administration was an executive in a credit card company that was fined huge amounts for stealing from customers, and the fact that the largest campaign contributor in the 2004 election was the banking institution that coincidentally co-authored a bill that made it harder for middle-class Americans to file for bankruptcy.

If you use credit, and we all do, then you really need to see this.

Extremely powerful message. Particularly the fact that credit card companies make most of their money from the people who really shouldn't have credit cards. The young and the poor who when they can't meet minimum repayments are socked with extra fees and penalty interest.

Should be shown in all high schools and colleges as a warning to the vulnerable. However given the power of the credit card company political lobby groups, this film will probably get minimal distribution and disappear.

This would be unfortunate as the message here is communicated in a clear and entertaining style.