Inequality for All

Of course Robert Reich is mostly preaching to the choir but he also informs and entertains the viewer. Reich is not isolated theory or ivory tower. He served in the administrations of Ford and Carter and was Labor Secretary under Clinton from 1993 to 1997. For me what gives Reich credence is the economic expansion of the 90's- the sustained growth, stronger middle class, low unemployment, low inflation, lower poverty rate and budget surpluses (to name a few) of which Reich was a key driver in economic policy.

This is not a movie for dogmatic right-wingers who will find the facts, um, inconvenient to say the least. They can skip the movie but still write reviews just by calling Reich a bunch of names. For the rest of us, well most of us can see what's happening to the economy but Reich breaks it down in an easy entertaining manner. His story about the first time he met Bubba on a boat to England is pretty funny as well as his jokes about his height. (4'8")

Director Jacob Kornbluth utilizes a cross section of the economy to make his point. Rich investor, middle class upper and lower, and those living day to day and fighting off poverty. Can be a tad dry because this is all pretty much right in front of our collective noses if we care to look. But he needs to make the examples to make the documentary work.

Robert Reich yes might be diminutive in stature, but the knowledge, the energy, the passion, and the inspiration are all sky high.

A very interesting man who lives and fights for his convictions. For me made the documentary worthwhile.

The economics seem sound and provides explanation why the middle class financial health is the key to a successful economy and solid democracy.

Former Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, explains this argument in understandable terms. Using testimony from the really rich Americans, including Warren Buffet, to everyday middle class Americans struggling to maintain their quality of life.

The loss of one star is due to the web site promoting a clearly liberal agenda.

The documentary itself has no political message which motivated me to go to the web site to take action. But, alas, when the web site had nothing but political elements, it turned me off.

I consider myself well informed about what's happening in our economy here in the United States, so I didn't expect to learn much.

Wow! Was I surprised! This move is a "must see" and should be required viewing for all, especially high school and college students.

Anyone who cares about this country, and who wants to change things must see this movie to truly understand what is needed.

Robert Reich has a rich way presenting information so that even those of us who find economics difficult can follow what's happened in the United States.

With easy to read graphs and entertaining narration, Robert shows us exactly what went wrong, and exactly what is needed to fix it.

Inequality for All attempts to do for income inequality what An Inconvenient Truth did for the global warming/climate change debate. Immediately, if you agree with Reich's talking points about economics and who is exactly at fault for the economic downturn of recent years, you'll likely love Inequality for All and perhaps quote its statistical data in future debates. If you don't agree with Reich's points, you'll likely wind up hating the picture, dismissing it as biased, lefty-fodder and never think about it again. In other words, it's another typical political documentary in the regard that those who really need to see it and take things away from it probably won't.

That doesn't mean Reich's commentary on this particular issue should be casually dismissed and regarded as biased senselessness. Reich makes several great points in this documentary, and the film is worth seeing on the merits that he is a charismatic and very likable screen presence. The fact that Reich assumes a tone that is witty and informative without being too didactic and pompous already makes the film much more accomplished than An Inconvenient Truth. For starters, Reich's background is in economics. He has studied the field for many years and has worked under the Ford, Carter, and Clinton administrations, working as the Secretary of Labor under Clinton. To dismiss Reich's claims immediately as lefty-fodder or something along those lines is criminal just because he is at least more experienced than many people reviewing this film. I can't dismiss Reich's claims, nor can I back them up. I can simply try and view eye-to-eye with him before moving on.

Reich's film instantly feels like a PowerPoint presentation, with numerous infographs, charts, video clips, montages, etc appearing with Reich narrating and stating each piece of information's significance. This style makes for a basic, but very accessible film, which is what we need in the line of documentaries concerning politics and economics. They are topics that can get alienating and complex very easily, and Reich seems to be totally aware of that. What the man winds up doing, to combat the intimidating subjects, is offer a cleanly edited film, mixing in the aforementioned ingredients with bits of his lectures at Berkeley in order to create a very interesting and thoroughly entertaining film.

Probably his strongest takeaway point, even if, I feel, many of us already know this, is that a strong middle class is the key to a strong economy. One of his wealthy subjects is Nick Hanauer, a venture capitalist who makes the bold assertion that the rich do not create jobs or benefit the economy in a way that is as significant as what the middle class does. He sums this up nicely, commenting that while some people make in excess of $10 to $30 million dollars a year, paradoxically, they spend very little of it. Most of their money goes into investments or into a vault for their savings. The middle class, on the other hand, can only donate so much of their money to savings because many of them have outstanding bills that need be paid by a certain day. Hanauer also comments that America needs to forgo the failed concept of "trickle-down economics" in favor of "middle-out economics," which is the pro-business ideology to create a strong, viable middle class akin to that of the 1940's, 50's, and 60's. The question is how do we get there? Reich's other strong takeaway point is that the American "free market" isn't completely free in a large sense. For better or for worse, depending on what you believe, the government has regulated the market with countless organizations that either limit production, tell us how to produce something, and work in efforts to regulate business in a way that makes it meet certain requirements. For some, this will be old news but for others, like me, it provides a moment to truly think about. There truly is not such thing as a free-market; the only one that would exist would be under complete anarchy with no regulations whatsoever.

Director Jacob Kornbluth constantly makes an effort to show how baffling and simultaneously captivating Reich can be. At one point during Reich's presentation, he asks for an audience member's iPhone and questions to the masses where most of the proceeds from each purchase of an iPhone goes to. Many guess China and the United States, two countries directly involved in the solicitation and the manufacturing of said phone. It turns out 23% goes to Japan, 6% goes to the United States, roughly 3% goes back to China, something like 17% goes to Germany, and the remaining percent is scattered across the globe. The idea is that while iPhones are manufactured in one particular place (China), the parts for manufacturing just one phone come from all over the world, leaving many countries to share the profits unevenly.

While Inequality for All is a good lesson in economics, the real treat is getting to know Reich, who stands tall at just four feet, eleven inches, loves his MINI Cooper car because it feels in proportion to himself, and always brings a small wooden box to stand on wherever he goes to speak. The guy is just nine miles past adorable, and, agree or disagree with his points in the film, he has enough charisma to brighten a room and enough intelligence that everyone can take away something he says by the end of the documentary.

Starring: Robert Reich. Directed by: Jacob Kornbluth.

I think Reich and Co. did a nice job of not being heavy handed while presenting some of the bleakest trends we're living through in 2013. Unlike a lot of doom and gloom docs, this vital information was presented with a human touch and actually offered some solutions towards a positive outcome.

There's some whimsy and self-deprecating humor throughout this film as well as Reich makes light of his own stature, but it's also very serious in how it pertains to his seemingly life-long struggle against bullies. And that, folks, is what the vast majority of Americans are up against: ideological bullies and wormtongues at Fox News; and a corporate-owned political system run by lobbyists. Reich presents some specific examples of wealth disparity and even gets a multi-millionaire to agree with his overall sentiment.

Super well done.