Maxed Out (2006)
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88% of critics liked it
(48 reviews) -
52% of users liked it
(74,025 ratings)
Per its title, James D. Scurlock's virulently angry muckraking documentary Maxed Out examines the many problems associated with escalating U.S. consumer debt. Scurlock places his weightiest emphasis on the ends of the spectrum rooted in extreme evil (read: abuse) -- such as the capital lenders… More Per its title, James D. Scurlock's virulently angry muckraking documentary Maxed Out examines the many problems associated with escalating U.S. consumer debt. Scurlock places his weightiest emphasis on the ends of the spectrum rooted in extreme evil (read: abuse) -- such as the capital lenders who wheedle poor farm families into assuming unmanageable loans and college students into placing massive amounts on credit cards. He also touches on the end rooted in extreme tragedy, such as the debtors who sink so far in over their heads that suicide represents the only conceivable out. The film's many interviewees include Harvard University financial analyst Elizabeth Warren (who pontificates on the lucrativeness of high-interest mortgage banking) and born-again Christian radio host Dave Ramsey, who offers difficult on-air advice to the fiscally burdened by drawing on his own experiences as a debtor. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Directed By
- James D. Scurlock
- Genres
- Documentary, Special Interest
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Mar 10, 2006 Wide
- Studio
- Magnolia Pictures
Critic Reviews
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J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
This muckraking documentary on America's personal-debt crisis lays bare the predatory practices of credit card companies and the Bush administration's cozy relationship with the financial services industry.
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Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
Do not see this film if you worry about money.
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Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Maxed Out focuses on how much we're in hock without ever really wondering why we need to buy.
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Stephen Holden, New York Times
This scattershot exposé of usurious banking practices examines why the most vulnerable segment of society is victimized by the lending industry and finds a simple answer: It's obscenely profitable.
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Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Maxed Out exposes the credit card sham for what it is, and fingers the hustlers who perpetuate it.
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