I.O.U.S.A. [2008]

Schlock producer/director  and genius promoter William Castle was master of the "gimmick".   Whether it be literally shocking patrons out of the theatre seats during "The Tingler" or sending skeletons flying over their heads during "House On Haunted Hill", he had no problem packing in the public.   So what would he do with the  documentary, "I.O.U.S.A.", a film that needs to be seen, but given current economic conditions, will probably die a quick death at the multiplex. (If it even makes it to any "multiplex")
I think he would have trotted out the old "life insurance" gag, where every moviegoer would sign a policy going in and be guaranteed a "pay-off" if they "died of fright" during the film.  Is "I.O.U.S.A." that scary?  As Sarah Palin might say "You betcha!"
Whereas "An Inconvienent Truth" had ahem, heavyweight Al Gore at it's center and great celebrity endorsements, "I.O.U.S.A." is just as vital to our future on this planet  but it has no glamour, no real "pizzaz", unless you have a pin-up of Alan Greenspan over your bed.  Let's face it, global warming is well, glamourous.  We can grasp the concept, yet to most it still is probably as threatening as a fairy-tale.  "I.O.U.S.A." is about hard economics, which is far from glamourous and dramatic but just as catastrophic for our future.  The thought that the goood old USA could go the way of the Roman Empire in the next twenty years or so as an acute possibility is talk that would put a major buzzkill on any cocktail party.  Not to mention economics is a subject that most Americans, including myself, have about as much understanding of as they do Martian Heiroglyphics.
The two unlikely heroes of "I.O.U.S.A." are the decidedly unglamorous David Walker, former Comptroller General and head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) of the U.S. under Clinton and Bush Jr. and., and Robert Bixby, an anoerxic younger Andy Rooney lookalike, TAB diet-cola addicted, economist and executive director of the non-partisan Concord Foundation.  Schlepping across the U.S. on their "Fiscal Wake-Up Tour", they are warning the populace that government debt is out of control and that if something is not done, and done now, that future generations will be left with a quality of life that is lower than abysmal.
A kidney-punch lesson in Econ 101, "I.O.U.S.A." purports that in the future our leaders will not make foreign policy, but our bankers will.  Hello, China!   Even if we eliminate all pork-barrell  spending, reverse the damage of any Bush tax cuts, and end the war in Iraq, that will only account for a measly 14% of our total debt.  We're not exporting like we used to folks, and come January 2013 our obligations will reach approximately 12+  trillion dollars.  That's not rhetoric, that's reality.  The State of the Union is in a state of denial, ladies and gents, we are broke!  We're spending way beyond our means....I'll give you a minute to get your latest credit card bill.....and cute little grandpup "Toby" is fronting the interest.
"I.O.U.S.A." can be too easily dismissed as a liberal diatribe or a knee-jerk "Obama" commercial,  the truth is, as evidenced by the recent buy-out, neither party seems to have a clue.  The disastrous last twelve years is only a prelude to what lies ahead financially.  "I.O.U.S.A." is like it or not, a cold reality check to both Democrat and Republican.

Somewhat dry and sprawling in its presentation, "I.O.U.S.A." still manges to land a deathblow to current economic policy.  It's not pretty, and it may not be Oscar-worthy, but it's as timely as the latest poll results.  Save if you can, and remember if you see this in the theatre or on DVD, as "I.O.U.S.A." reminds us...."While you watched this film 85 million was added to the federal debt".

                                                    RATING:  3 BANANAS