Audience Member
I loved this movie!!! As a world traveler and an entrepreneur I have learned that american made products are in demand.I This movies brings back American pride and explains how the decline in manufacturing has led tothe decline in the middle class and how that effects all of us. I loved this movie.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/07/23
Full Review
Audience Member
American Made Movie depicts the stories of workers and companies caught in the plight of the disappearing manufacturing industry in America. It also profiles the hope and dedication of a few businesses who overcome all odds to stay American made.
The director of photography should definitely be commended for his work, especially the beautiful cinematography of Detroit and baseball.
In the last decade we have lost 5.5 million or one third of our manufacturing jobs and since 1979 the income gap has tripled in size. The tales and facts are interesting and educational but the movie is definitely in need of editing to make the storyline more cohesive and engaging. The movie came across mostly as a patriotic forum composed of a series of never ending interviews. Some of these interviews were boring and gave all too obvious insights. I felt like I was watching an infomercial instead of a well thought out documentary. Unfortunately this film could not keep my attention. The slideshow of politicians endorsing U.S. manufacturing was amateurish and irrelevant. The editors needed to add more narration and cut some time from the film.
If the movie outlined a more detailed plan to bring back American made, and specified what "Made in America" means in a technical sense as well as its potential pitfalls, the film would have been worth watching.
I think it is noble that the movie takes up the fight for the American worker and encourages us all to buy American made. The movies makes mention about places like Gwinnett County GA attracting foreign investors who invigorate our manufacturing base and entrepreneurs like Mark Andol who successfully specialize in selling US manufactured products.
The writers could have elaborated better on solutions including better government leadership who provide incentives to businesses and better marketing of US made goods. The movie should have mentioned some other businesses like American Apparel who have been successful in selling US made goods. The movie should have touched on the advantages and disadvantages of overseas manufacturing. Overseas manufacturing is cheaper and more efficient especially if raw materials are nearby but some overseas goods are made in sweatshops, for instance.
I give this movie three out of five stars. With the proper editing and trimming, this movie would be perfect for history and economics classes across the country and garner more stars (and stripes).
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/13/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Documentary lovers, this is a must see! All others, this is a great film to foray into the genre. Unlike Michael Moore, who on the plus side has brought a lot of new viewers to the documentary format and opened the field to documentary filmmakers, there is no overriding voice of God telling you how, what and who to believe in. The opening clipettes depict the relationship of filmmaker and subject through their form: an interview with the entire shot focused on the subject. And thankfully, unlike Moore projects, this film's star is the message, not the maker.
American Made Movie does a brilliant job of building a concrete relationship between a single product and the consumer; the connection between which has changed drastically over the last few decades due to outsourcing and globalization. By showing the journey beginning with a living tree (and the loggers that mine them, their certifications and training), and ending with a Louisville Slugger (and those that market, retailers and all) as well as all the steps in between (truckers, mill workers, factory workers, and so forth), the viewer sees just how American a bat can be. This trajectory also points out just how non-American most things in today's society actually are. Did you know that New Balance was the only athletic shoe company to have an American factory?
Although the film offers five venues to improve our country's overly-global trade and relatively non-existent manufacturing industry, thusly enlarging the middle class and lessening the divide between haves and have-nots, a fix feels too far away. The cinematography of Detroit in ruins is stunning, the score adding just the right weight and unburdened by voice-over. I could have watched an hour and a half of this alone, however, this portion filmed as beautifully as it was, weighs heavy on one's feelings of efficacy. While my next pair of running shoes will certainly be New Balance, I am left asking: What can I do? Seriously, please tell me because I have never felt such national pride as I do since watching American Made Movie.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/23/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Many of economic problems these days revolve around the export of US manufacturing jobs. I've known this since I've been an adult and often wondered what it would take to reverse the trend. This very informative and apolitical documentary not only frames and defines the size of the problem, it proposes solutions. It shows in very understandable terms and human stories the role of US manufacturers play in our local and national economies and great challenges they face.
It presents the problem and shows solutions using the stories of a welding shop in Upstate New York, a home-based jewelry maker in Connecticut, and several other larger corporations. It also shows in easily understood terms and stories how the problem can be solved when business, local government, entrepreneurs and consumers can work together to keep manufacturing in the US.
It never resorts to name calling. It never hurls political invectives or bromides, it just lays out the causes:
1. Anti-competitive regulatory and tax environments.
2. Disparate labor costs - although it shows automation is an effective method for increasing worker productivity.
3. Involvement by government in business which allows them to lower their price below what the market would otherwise demand for those resources.
4. Short-sighted business and financial planning of publicly held corporations to meet investor expectations.
The one aspect it didn't directly mention was the effect of unions on labor costs. But it did show that manufacturing is doing well in open-shop states like Georgia.
It then identified the entities (business owners, investors, governments, entrepreneurs and consumers) who must play a role to solve the problem. Again, I wish more would have been done to show what unions can do to help, but it was still very informative and enlightening.
I want to show this to my family and friends. Local and national politicians, small and large business owners ought to watch it too. They should watch it because it shows working solutions to this problem. It was inspiring and gave me confidence the problem of jobs going overseas can be solved.
If you teach economics either as a public, private or home schooler, this documentary will be a great addition to your curriculum. If you want to understand the real challenges with manufacturing without the political invective and posturing, this documentary is a must see for you too. I highly recommend it!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/23/23
Full Review
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