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Movies / On DVD / I.O.U.S.A.
I.O.U.S.A.

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I.O.U.S.A. (2008)

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Reviews Counted:56

Fresh:51

Rotten:5

Average Rating:7.3/10

Consensus: A potent and lithely constructed documentary about America's financial crisis, I.O.U.S.A grabs you with figures but holds you with irreverent wit.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 85 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:Aug 22, 2008 Limited

Box Office: $634,829

Synopsis: Wake up, America! We’re on the brink of a financial meltdown. I.O.U.S.A. boldly examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States and its citizens. As the Baby... Wake up, America! We’re on the brink of a financial meltdown. I.O.U.S.A. boldly examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States and its citizens. As the Baby Boomer generation prepares to retire, will there even be any Social Security benefits left to collect? Burdened with an ever-expanding government and military, increased international competition, overextended entitlement programs, and debts to foreign countries that are becoming impossible to honor, America must mend its spendthrift ways or face an economic disaster of epic proportions. Throughout history, the American government has found it nearly impossible to spend only what has been raised through taxes. Wielding candid interviews with both average American taxpayers and government officials, Sundance veteran Patrick Creadon (Wordplay) helps demystify the nation’s financial practices and policies. The film follows U.S. Comptroller General David Walker as he crisscrosses the country explaining America’s unsustainable fiscal policies to its citizens. With surgical precision, Creadon interweaves archival footage and economic data to paint a vivid and alarming profile of America’s current economic situation. The ultimate power of I.O.U.S.A. is that the film moves beyond doomsday rhetoric to proffer potential financial scenarios and propose solutions about how we can recreate a fiscally sound nation for future generations. Pointedly topical and consummately nonpartisan, I.O.U.S.A. drives home the message that the only time for America’s financial future is now. --© Sundance Film Festival [More]

Starring: David Walker, William Bonner, Warren Buffett, Ron Paul

Starring: David Walker, William Bonner, Warren Buffett, Ron Paul, Alan Greenspan

Director: Patrick Creadon

Director: Patrick Creadon
Screenwriter: Patrick Creadon, Christine O'Malley, Addison Wiggin
Producer: Christine O'Malley, Sarah Gibson
Composer: Peter Golub
Studio: Roadside Attractions

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Release:

Apr 7, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • America is on the brink of a financial meltdown. I.O.U.S.A. boldly examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States. Burdened with an ever-expanding government and military, increased international competition, overextended entitlement programs, and debts to foreign countries that are becoming impossible to honor, America must mend its spendthrift ways or face an economic disaster of epic proportions.
  • Source: PBS Video
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for I.O.U.S.A.

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    1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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    Documentarian Patrick Creadon does a nice job of making the daunting math and economic theories associated with our national debt accessible.

    Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
    08/22/08
    Miami Herald

    Sage audiences already concerned about their cash money will budget a few bucks to learn more.

    Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
    08/22/08
    Amy Nicholson
    Amy Nicholson
    Boxoffice Magazine

    If you believe the terrifying documentary I.O.U.S.A., America is headed for a financial crisis of monumental proportions - and apparently, we are probably too late to keep it from happening.

    Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
    12/07/08
    Bill Gibron
    Bill Gibron
    PopMatters

    In I.O.U.S.A. explains in clear and compelling terms fiscal problems that have been in motion for decades.

    Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
    09/12/08
    Cynthia Fuchs
    Cynthia Fuchs
    PopMatters

    This solid doc reminds us how unsustainable the current American economy is.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    11/14/08
    Dave Calhoun
    Dave Calhoun
    Time Out

    Its aim is to raise awareness of an impending financial disaster if America continues acting fiscally and morally irresponsible.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    11/20/08
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    Is to the country's troubled economy what An Inconvenient Truth was to global warming ... it's extremely effective at getting its message across.

    Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
    08/20/08
    Edward Douglas
    Edward Douglas
    ComingSoon.net

    [A] timely documentary...There is a sense of urgency that propels Creadon's cautionary narrative as an alarming wake-up call to financial discipline.

    Full Review Source: Movie Eye | comment Comment
    11/20/08
    Frank Ochieng
    Frank Ochieng
    Movie Eye

    A solid informational piece on a fiscal reality than can really be called a national emergency.

    Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
    08/23/08
    Frank Swietek
    Frank Swietek
    One Guy's Opinion

    Creadon avoids turning his film into a partisan slugfest, instead opting to focus on how our country as a whole must come together.

    Full Review Source: Film and Felt | comment Comment
    11/17/08
    Gabe Leibowitz
    Gabe Leibowitz
    Film and Felt

    The movie clearly wants to scare the crap out of viewers, and it actually achieves that goal better than most horror movies have lately.

    Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
    08/21/08
    Geoff Berkshire
    Geoff Berkshire
    Metromix.com

    It's like Michael Moore decided to tackle the national debt, but finally kept himself and his personal agenda out of the way.

    Full Review Source: Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine) | comment Comment
    10/19/08
    Gina Carbone
    Gina Carbone
    Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine)

    Scarier than a movie with Freddy Krueger.

    Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
    08/26/08
    Harvey S. Karten
    Harvey S. Karten
    Compuserve

    A film with an urgent message that uses the medium to its advantage.

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    11/14/08
    Holly Grigg-Spall
    Holly Grigg-Spall
    Channel 4 Film

    Forceful and lucid.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    08/21/08
    J. R. Jones
    J. R. Jones
    Chicago Reader

    I.O.U.S.A. is a clear, cogent and compelling primer on contemporary American economics and the not-so-small matter of how we ended up at the edge of a precipice.

    Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
    10/24/08
    Jason Anderson
    Jason Anderson
    Toronto Star
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Yet another documentary that everyone should see but most will not.

    comment Comment
    08/22/08
    Jeannette Catsoulis
    Jeannette Catsoulis
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Think of this important documentary as Economics 101, a primer on how America and Americans spend, and what hardships the future holds for us unless we change the pattern and our habits quickly.

    Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
    06/27/09
    Jennifer Merin
    Jennifer Merin
    About.com

    as essential viewing as any common sense advice you've received from parents/grandparents about living within your means

    Full Review Source: Old School Reviews | comment Comment
    11/01/08
    John A. Nesbit
    John A. Nesbit
    Old School Reviews

    If this week's headlines have failed to convince you that the United States is on the verge of an economic meltdown, Patrick Creadon's scary new documentary, I.O.U.S.A., will demolish any lingering doubts.

    Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
    10/03/08
    John Hartl
    John Hartl
    Seattle Times
     
     
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