Inequality for All 2013

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Robert Reich, a secretary of labor under President Clinton, leads us through a sharp-eyed essay-meditation on the rising trend of income inequality. Read more

Nicolas Rapold, New York Times: Mr. Reich ties together his talking points with a reasonable-sounding analysis and an unassuming warmth sometimes absent from documentaries charting America's economic woes. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: A cinematic listicle of misleading economic talking points. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Mr. Kornbluth's documentary argues eloquently for such unassailable goals as investment in education and infrastructure, and complements Mr. Reich's exposition with compelling interviews ... Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: This lively film takes a "greatest-hits" approach to Reich, who fears that we're headed for another financial debacle if we don't take a more serious approach to taxes and education. Read more

A.A. Dowd, AV Club: As easy as it is to be intellectually seduced by the man's arguments, it's also hard to avoid wishing that his own cult of personality-his jokes and his history-didn't dominate so much of the running time. Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: An engaging film that's head and shoulders above the average talking-head parade. Read more

Peter Keough, Boston Globe: Presents Reich's position by patching together lectures from his "Wealth & Poverty" course at the University of California, Berkeley. Read more

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader: Economist Robert Reich possesses a formidable intellect, an encyclopedic grasp of statistics and monetary trends, a quicksilver wit, and immense affability, making him the go-to guy when average Americans need our financial crises explained. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: It's unseemly, I know, to praise a movie like this for the stand-up-comic affability of its host. But Reich's engagingness also gives credence to the seriousness of his message. Read more

Sheryl Jean, Dallas Morning News: The film is as much about Reich as income inequality, a topic he has written and talked about for decades. You'll learn why he's 4 feet 10.5 inches tall and why he became active in social politics. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Overall, this film is enlightening, entertaining and seriously alarming. Read more

Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter: Policy wonk Robert Reich's analysis of today's parallels to the Great Depression is both statistics-driven and impassioned. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Smart, funny and articulate, Robert Reich is the university professor we all wish we'd had. He's so accessible and entertaining he takes a subject that sounds soporific and makes it come alive like you wouldn't believe in "Inequality for All." Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: Animated charts and graphs, on-the-road interludes and humorous asides designed to show that the speaker isn't too dislikably severe about the crisis that threatens Life As We Know It. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Essential viewing, no matter how you cut it. Read more

Michael Sragow, Orange County Register: This documentary would be a rousing David and Goliath story even if its hero weren't the diminutive Robert B. Reich. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Reich is funny, poignant, passionate. Read more

Joan Walsh, Salon.com: If you've read [Reich's] wonderful book "Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future," the structure of his argument will be familiar to you, but the ride you go on will not. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Reich is no condescending intellectual. He has no contempt for people of the opposite point of view. He even has nice things to say about Bill O'Reilly. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: President Clinton's secretary of labor lectures on income inequality with a refreshing lack of jargon. Read more

Bruce Ingram, Chicago Sun-Times: Reich manages to infuse this enlightening/infuriating documentary on extreme income disparity in the United States, and the corollary marginalization of the middle class, with an optimistic spirit. One that may or may not be justified. Read more

Simon Houpt, Globe and Mail: Reich is a natural teacher of complex concepts: The film doesn't feel like homework. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Inequality for All is intelligent, persuasive and accessible, a gentle but urgent clarion call to action. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: If you're looking for a streamlined explanation for the mess the U.S. economy's in, and how we might get out, it's as good a place to start as any. Read more

Sam Adams, Time Out: In 90 minutes, Inequality for All doesn't get far beyond Income Inequality 101, but for those who struggle with the basics, it's an often essential primer. Read more

Scott Bowles, USA Today: Directed by Jacob Kornbluth, Inequality works by avoiding most of the political minefields that have made the economy mulch for partisan consumption. Read more

Andrew Barker, Variety: There are certainly lessons to be gleaned from Reich's journey through politics. Read more

Pete Vonder Haar, Village Voice: Using income tax data going back 100 years, Reich draws parallels between the crashes of 1929 and 2008: identical concentrations of wealth at the top and the destabilization of the middle class. Read more

John DeFore, Washington Post: Any politician hoping to redistribute America's wealth should screen it before every stump speech. Read more