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38
12 Rounds Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Maxed Out
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MPAA RATING: Not Rated
Starring Chris Barrett, Robin Leach, Luke McCabe, Mark Mumma, and Liz Warren
Maxed Out takes viewers on a journey deep inside the American style of debt, where things seem fine as long as the minimum monthly payment arrives on time. With coverage that spans from small American towns all the way to the White House, the film shows how the modern financial industry really works, explains the true definition of "preferred customer" and tells us why the poor are getting poorer while the rich keep getting richer. Hilarious, shocking and incisive, Maxed Out paints a picture of a national nightmare which is all too real for most of us. (Red Envelope Entertainment)
| GENRE(S): | Documentary |
| WRITTEN BY: | James D. Scurlock |
| DIRECTED BY: | James D. Scurlock |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: June 5, 2007 Theatrical: March 9, 2007 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 90 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA |
Also known as "Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders"
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 4.6 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Steve S. gave it an8:
Earth to the American public - if you keep on electing survival-of-the-fittest Republicans, don't be surprised when large swaths of your society turn Darwinian without prior notice. Yes, it would be really nice if everybody lived within their means; but as the movie makes clear, the credit card companies are now actively seducing the poorest credit risks, because their highest profits come from soaking marginal customers with late fees. Such dubious and predatory strategies have addicted our economy to the self-delusions of American consumers. If people did start being more responsible with their credit cards, it would be the end of our standard of living. Nor is the US government any more prepared to face reality than the American people are. It just has the power to raise the ceiling on its debt, a luxury private citizens lack. The movie is smart, ironic and funny. You come away from it with the strong intuition that the more credit card applications you get in the mail, the more insulted you should feel, because the modern lender strategy is to rope in as many losers as possible. It would also have been fitting to end it with the same portentious message Criswell intoned at the finale of Plan 9 From Outer Space - "God help us in the future!"
Brett S gave it a2:
Too biased of a documentary to deserve a good score. It only shows half of the problem, that lenders need to tighten lending standards. The problem that Americans want to buy whatever they want whenever they want, but when it comes time to pay what they owe they don't want to is only briefly skirted. NY Post reviewer says it best: The film takes care to hide almost everything its overspenders bought, but toward the end a weeping woman takes us through the sanctum where, until indebtedness suddenly struck, she once kept her 500 souvenir plates. Hiding half of the problem does not a good documentary make.
Jack D. gave it a10:
Very, very insightful, revealing documentary about the credit industry in the US. A must see for anyone.
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