I Want Your Money
Encyclopedia
I Want Your Money is a 2010 American documentary film
by filmmaker Ray Griggs.
" and "Obamanomics" as American economic and governmental policies, as well as their respective impact on life in the United States of America, as summarized from film's official web site:
The film uses computer animation, film clips, archival footage, dramatizations, music, graphics, and on-camera interviews with well-known public figures and experts "to tell the story in the plainest terms of the choice between the Obama and the Reagan views of the role of the federal government in our society."
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, pointed out that homegrown conservative movements, which the film advocates, are rare due to the individualistic mentality of conservatism. As such, its anti-establishment tone generated harsh criticisms from the overwhelmingly liberal-based media, while otherwise proving to be an underground success.
I Want Your Money currently has a critical rating score of 0% out of 7 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes
. Jackie K. Cooper of the Huffington Post described the film as "tiring and tedious", and the liberal Media Matters for America
described the commentary offered in the film as "long-parroted and thoroughly debunked conservative myths about U.S. economic history and President Obama's economic policies." However, the film was nominated for Movie Guide's Faith and Freedom Award alongside Waiting for Superman
and Toy Story 3
. Likewise, its trailer received over four million views on YouTube
and standing ovations at conservative showings. Brent Bozell answered critics who accused director Ray Griggs of being a right-wing Michael Moore
saying "that would be unfair, since Moore's documentaries often depart from the classification of "nonfiction."" More than a documentary, some have compared it to "political evangelization" as "a teaching tool to encourage a return to the conservative constitutional principles that the Tea Party
and true conservatives espouse."
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by filmmaker Ray Griggs.
Premise
The film examines and contrasts, from a conservative viewpoint, the differences between "ReaganomicsReaganomics
Reaganomics refers to the economic policies promoted by the U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s, also known as supply-side economics and called trickle-down economics, particularly by critics...
" and "Obamanomics" as American economic and governmental policies, as well as their respective impact on life in the United States of America, as summarized from film's official web site:
Two versions of the American dream now stand in sharp contrast. One views the money you earned as yours and best allocated by you. It champions the traditional American dream, which has played out millions of times through generations of Americans, of improving one’s lot in life and the entrepreneurial spirit of daring to dream and to build big. The other believes that the federal government, using taxpayers’ money, should play a major role in leveling out the nation’s wealth to guarantee outcomes to all, regardless of effort. How America chooses between these two views of the role of government, at this crucial juncture, will have everything to do with the future we and our children and our children’s children will enjoy.
The film uses computer animation, film clips, archival footage, dramatizations, music, graphics, and on-camera interviews with well-known public figures and experts "to tell the story in the plainest terms of the choice between the Obama and the Reagan views of the role of the federal government in our society."
Interviews
The following individuals were interviewed for I Want Your Money:
|
Lee Edwards Lee Edwards is a distinguished fellow in conservative thought at the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at The Heritage Foundation... Steve Forbes Malcolm Stevenson "Steve" Forbes, Jr. is an American editor, publisher, and businessman. He is the editor-in-chief of business magazine Forbes as well as president and chief executive officer of its publisher, Forbes Inc. He was a Republican candidate in the U.S. Presidential primaries in 1996... Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999.... |
Mike Huckabee Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won... Allen Icet Allen Icet is a Republican that represents Missouri's 84th district, a portion of Saint Louis County, in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected to the House in November 2002. Icet has served as Missouri House budget chair since 2005.-Education:Icet received a Bachelor’s of Science... Tom McClintock Thomas Miller McClintock II is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former Assemblyman and state Senator... Thad McCotter Thaddeus George "Thad" McCotter is the U.S. Representative to , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party... |
David M. McIntosh David Martin McIntosh is a lawyer who served as a Republican representative from Indiana from January 3, 1995, to January 3, 2001. McIntosh was the Republican candidate for Governor of Indiana in 2000, losing to incumbent Democrat Frank O'Bannon He is currently a candidate in Indiana's 5th... Edwin Meese Edwin "Ed" Meese, III is an attorney, law professor, and author who served in official capacities within the Ronald Reagan Gubernatorial Administration , the Reagan Presidential Transition Team , and the Reagan White House , eventually rising to hold the position of the 75th Attorney General of... |
Star Parker Star Parker is an American syndicated columnist, social critic, book author, and conservative political activist. In 2010 she was the Republican candidate for California's 37th congressional district, but was defeated in the general election.Parker is a syndicated columnist with the Scripps Howard... Michael Reagan Michael Edward Reagan is a former American radio host and Republican strategist. His nationally syndicated radio show, The Michael Reagan Talk Show, aired on stations throughout the United States on the Premiere Radio Networks before being dropped, after which it moved to Radio America... Lila Rose Lila Grace Rose is an American pro-life activist and the founder of the pro-life group Live Action. She is known for a series of campaigns against affiliated facilities of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.-Biography:... George Runner George C. Runner, Jr. is the Republican Board Member for District 2 of the five-member California Board of Equalization .... |
John Stossel John F. Stossel is an American consumer reporter, investigative journalist, author and libertarian columnist. In October 2009 Stossel left his long time home on ABC News to join the Fox Business Channel and Fox News Channel, both owned and operated by News Corp... Pete Wilson Peter Barton "Pete" Wilson is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th Governor of California , the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator , eleven years as Mayor of San Diego and... |
Release
The film had a limited release on October 15, 2010 in 537 theater screens, with an opening weekend box office of $249,428 USD in North American rentals.Reception
Critical reception of I Want Your Money was evenly divided according to political affiliation. This proved to be a major handicap as its limited release and an even further limited marketing campaign kept its returns low. Still, conservative audiences generally liked the film, whereas liberal audiences were dismissive of its arguments. This was likely an expected response as one interviewee, Andrew BreitbartAndrew Breitbart
Andrew Breitbart is an American publisher, commentator for the Washington Times, author, an occasional guest commentator on various news programs who has served as an editor for the Drudge Report website...
, pointed out that homegrown conservative movements, which the film advocates, are rare due to the individualistic mentality of conservatism. As such, its anti-establishment tone generated harsh criticisms from the overwhelmingly liberal-based media, while otherwise proving to be an underground success.
I Want Your Money currently has a critical rating score of 0% out of 7 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Jackie K. Cooper of the Huffington Post described the film as "tiring and tedious", and the liberal Media Matters for America
Media Matters for America
Media Matters for America is a politically progressive media watchdog group which says it is "dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media." Set up as a 501 non-profit organization, MMfA was founded in 2004 by journalist and...
described the commentary offered in the film as "long-parroted and thoroughly debunked conservative myths about U.S. economic history and President Obama's economic policies." However, the film was nominated for Movie Guide's Faith and Freedom Award alongside Waiting for Superman
Waiting for Superman
Waiting for "Superman" is a 2010 documentary film from director Davis Guggenheim and producer Lesley Chilcott. The film analyzes the failures of American public education by following several students through the educational system, hoping to be selected in a lottery for acceptance into charter...
and Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital...
. Likewise, its trailer received over four million views on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and standing ovations at conservative showings. Brent Bozell answered critics who accused director Ray Griggs of being a right-wing Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
saying "that would be unfair, since Moore's documentaries often depart from the classification of "nonfiction."" More than a documentary, some have compared it to "political evangelization" as "a teaching tool to encourage a return to the conservative constitutional principles that the Tea Party
Tea party
A tea party is a formal, ritualized gathering for afternoon tea.Formal tea parties are often characterized by the use of prestige utensils, such as bone china or silver. The table is made to look its prettiest, with cloth napkins and matching cups and plates. In addition to tea, larger parties may...
and true conservatives espouse."