The Corporation (2004)

TOMATOMETER

90%

94%

AUDIENCE SCORE

90%

Critic Consensus: The Corporation is a satisfyingly dense, thought-provoking rebuttal to some of capitalism's central arguments.

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Movie Info

One hundred and fifty years ago, the corporation was a relatively insignificant entity. Today, it is a vivid, dramatic and pervasive presence in all our lives. Like the Church, the Monarchy and the Communist Party in other times and places, the corporation is today's dominant institution. But history humbles dominant institutions. All have been crushed, belittled or absorbed into some new order. The corporation is unlikely to be the first institution to defy history. Based on Joel Bakan's soon-to-be-published book, "The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power," this documentary is a timely, critical inquiry that examines the very nature of the corporation-its inner workings, curious history, controversial impacts and possible futures. We begin by learning that under the law, corporations have all the rights and yet few of the responsibilities of people. By viewing the behavior of the corporation through the prism of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (or DSM III, the gold standard of psychiatric evaluation) the filmmakers discover that if the corporation were indeed a person, the person would be considered a psychopath. Featuring candid interviews with CEOs, whistle-blowers, brokers, gurus, spies, players, pawns and pundits, the chronicle charts the spectacular rise of an institution aimed at achieving specific economic goals as it also recounts victories against this seemingly invincible force. Once you see it, you may find yourself thinking twice about what you eat, what you wear, what you watch and what you read.
Rating:
NR
Genre:
Documentary , Drama , Special Interest
Directed By:
Mark Achbar , Jennifer Abbott , Joel Baker
Written By:
Harold Crooks , Joel Bakan
In Theaters:
 wide
On DVD:
Box Office:
$1,350,094.00
Runtime:
Studio:
Zeitgeist Films

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Cast

S.S. Wilson
Noam Chomsky
Milton Friedman
Mikela J Mikael
as Narrator
Luke McCabe
Howard Zinn
Naomi Klein
Maude Barlow
Michael Walker
Jane Akre
Peter Drucker
Jeremy Rifkin
Mark Barry
Dr. Richard Grossman
Raymond L. Anderson
Christopher Barrett
Anita Roddick
Joe Badaracco
Elain Bernard
Edwin Black
Carlton Brown
Dr. Samuel Epstein
Andrea Finger
Sam Gibara
Dr. Robert Hare
Gabriel Herbas
Lucy Hughes
Ira Jackson
Charles Kernaghan
Robert Keyes
Mark Kingwell
Tom Kline
Chris Komisarjevsky
Dr. Susan Linn
Robert Monks
Mark Moody-Stuart
Oscar Olivera
Jonathon Ressler
Dr. Vandana Shiva
Clay Timon
Robert Weissman
Irving Wladawsky-Berger
Mary Zepernick
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Critic Reviews for The Corporation

All Critics (110) | Top Critics (32)

A history lesson, a warning shot and damning personality profile, all backed up with expert interviews.

October 29, 2004
Orlando Sentinel
Top Critic

Carries a powerful, albeit not new, message. It is frightening.

Full Review… | October 22, 2004
Miami Herald
Top Critic

The rare movie that sets out to alter the audience's consciousness -- and succeeds.

September 17, 2004
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic

This documentary's extra-long running time and a narrator who sounds like a sedated Star Trek computer won't win many converts.

September 16, 2004
Arizona Republic
Top Critic

This is a movie that will make you think.

August 19, 2004
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic

Sharp-witted, infuriating and at times depressing.

July 30, 2004
Denver Post
Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (110)

Audience Reviews for The Corporation

This movie will infuriate you, no matter which side of the debate you're on.

Ken Stachnik
Ken Stachnik

Super Reviewer

½

A well-made eye-opener documentary.

Wildaly M
Wildaly M

Super Reviewer

½

Recommended

Ginny  X
Ginny  X

Super Reviewer

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