One of my biggest problems with the work of Michael Moore, especially in his recent film, Capitalism: A Love Story, is that it often feels as if Moore is talking down to the audience. The experience for me of watching a film by Moore is akin to listening to someone who has only just learnt about left wing politics and who lectures me in a patronizing tone for two hours. Well, for those of who do like Moore, there is now an iPhone app for Capitalism.
Capitalism A Love Story is about a very complex and seemingly impenetrable topic, the economic crisis we are currently in, or climbing out of, depending on your viewpoint. In the film the most powerful sequences are those where we see regular people hit hard by the economic downturn and the effect it has had on their lives. In order to ‘help’ these people Paramount Pictures and Overture Films have worked with Mobile Dream Studio to release an iPhone app. The app allows users to offer tips to each other on coping in the current economic climate. One thought that struck me instantly was the cost of an iPhone and its place as a capitalist status symbol which is something that seems to run counter to the point of the film. This opening of the debate to the public in a simplified way though is in keeping with Moore’s approach, and the makers have also announced that the ten best tips (it is not clear how this will be judged though) will be sent to Michael Moore himself.
The app has been released to coincide with the UK release (26th February) and the US DVD release (9th March), and you can grab it for free (well they couldn’t really charge could they) from iTunes here.