Thursday, June 18, 2009

Movie Review: Maxed Out



If you enjoy banking, finance and lending, I'm recommending that you rent the film Maxed Out.




"Maxed Out" was released in the summer of 2007 as a documentary and shows inside stories and behind the scenes tales of the credit industry, collections and bankruptcy--and left me a bigger believer in peer-to-peer lending than ever.




The film is unrated and covers some pretty heavy topics. Language includes a couple of "F-Bombs" and some discussion of suicide, but it wasn't so offensive that I felt bad about letting my tween daughter watch the film for financial literacy.

The bonus features are also very good including a 1940's educational film about credit (a fun one to watch) and an interview with Dave Ramsey.

Maxed Out also shows debt from the view of the consumer, the investor, the collector and many other steps along the way. It also shares diverse perspectives from Dave Ramsey who doesn't believe in debt, to a Real Estate agent who sees debt as a tool and a way of life to Robin Leach of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. I was surprised at how well the movie showed such varied perspectives without feeling fragmented or disjointed.


The subject matter movie is a downer for sure, but the movie is eye-opening in so many ways. It has a perky soundtrack and comedic interludes (not kidding). I think will motivate you to humanize your finances more. If you've seen it--please comment and let us know what you thought.

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