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Reviews Counted:48
Fresh:42
Rotten:6
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: Maxed Out's presentation of startling facts and candid interviews put a human face on the issue of debt and financial insecurity.
Theatrical Release:Mar 9, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: Author and filmmaker James D. Scurlock takes on the powerful financial industry in an insightful and infuriating documentary about credit card debt in America. As he crisscrosses the United States,... [More]
Director: James D. Scurlock
Has some sweet touches that make its very bitter medicine a little more palatable: humorously ironic educational film snips and some brutally honest interview subjects. Still, it's hard to watch it and not walk out angry at someone.
Given that James D. Scurlock's documentary Maxed Out is a resolutely uncinematic progression of talking heads -- and they're talking about a subject most of us would rather not even think about -- it's a remarkably entertaining film.
Top CriticJames Scurlock’s Maxed Out takes a long-overdue swipe at the shamelessly predatory tactics of the credit-card and home-mortgage industries, which are feeding on the most economically vulnerable members of our society.
Top CriticA film all high school seniors should see. And their parents. And their siblings, neighbors, best friends and acquaintances. You should see it, too.
To maximize your return on this useful report, sit through the end credits where Spurlock deposits some of his best material.
When it comes to credit, it pays to be informed.
As a film, Maxed Out occasionally loses its way with glib choices (get ready to get tired of the song Money) and odd diversions (a segment with a Realtor begins the movie with a whimper, not a bang). But as a cry of outrage, it's spot-on.
If your outrage glands need a workout, be sure to see Maxed Out, a muckraking, emotionally powerful, wickedly entertaining documentary on the dreary-sounding topic of consumer debt.
Maxed Out is sort of a plastic Super Size Me, where every interviewee knows that this is out of control, yet they feel hopeless and unable to deal.
It's a slapdash affair... yet still winds up with a raw, gritty power.
Oh, the stories Scurlock tells.
Top Criticshines a light on one of the most pervasive (and potentially disastrous) problems affecting our society today
Entertaining and smart, Maxed Out is certainly big-screen worthy
If you've ever had problems with credit card debt, this insightful doc will either be the most enlightening or most depressing one you see this year.
James Scurlock's often riveting documentary is likely to leave you outraged over the manipulative greed of America's banks and credit card firms.
Anyone who's ever tangled with a credit card company will come out of it with boiling blood and a vow to get out from under their infernal thumbs once and for all.
A solid, informative piece, but not a revelatory one. And if you should go see it, it's probably a good idea to pay at the boxoffice with cash rather than via a credit card.
Part American cautionary tale, part credit card industry exposé, James Scurlock's Maxed Out should be required viewing for anyone who has ever opened an envelope that exclaims, "You have been pre-approved!"
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.
a Dante-esque descent into a distinctly American form of Hell
March 08, 2007:
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