Inequality for All - B

Rated PG, 85 minutes

"Inequality for All" an informative doc on U.S. income gap

Robert Reich

The enlightening new documentary "Inequality for All" explores the widening income gap in the United States in recent years. Sound boring? Well, some it may seem so, but it's actually quite eye-opening if you're part of the struggling middle class who seems to work endlessly without having much to show for it. "Inequality for All" is presented by Former Secretary of Labor and American economist, author and professor Robert Reich, who expertly provides details on the gap in the U.S. as well as some personal stories by those affected by it. Compelling and relevant, admittedly "Inequality for All" is at its heart, dry material, but it does affect the 99% in this country who are not rich. Directed by Sundance award winner Jacob Kornbluth, plenty of graphs, pie charts and other data fill much of "Inequality for All," and the numbers do not lie; our income has not grown, mainly due to societal and economic changes in the last 40 years, such as the cost of higher education and the considerable increase and misuse of debt and corporate salaries (as a result, the film explains, the top 1% of earners now take in more than 20% of all income -- three times what they did in 1970). Even as Reich spends time outlining the data and the changes in policy, the most compelling are the personal stories; of those laid-off or going back to school for more education or those workers seeing their benefits and wages decreased as the work increases. It lacks a little focus when Reich spends time outlining his personal policies during the Clinton Administration, and as much as the film would like to stay non-partisan and balanced, it tips the scale when it reminds us once again that Clinton presided over the longest economic expansion of recent memory. But the diminutive (who uses his small stature to make some pertinent economic points) Reich is an intelligent, respected figure in the world of economics, and by and large, most of what he says is important, even if "Inequality" spends too much time subjecting us to his lectures on this subject and not enough time outlining what could be done to lessen the gap. Thought-provoking and engaging, "Inequality for All" highlights our middle-class struggles to work hard, spend wisely and save for our future. If the filmmakers really wanted to make a point, offer the film for free.

Wes's Grade: B