Wal-Mart: The High Cost Of Low Price (2005) Synopsis:
WAL-MART: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE is a feature length documentary that uncovers a retail giant's assault on families and American values.
The film dives into the deeply personal stories and everyday lives of families and communities struggling to fight a goliath. A working mother is forced to turn to public assistance to provide healthcare for her two small children. A family loses its business in Missouri after Wal-Mart is given over two million dollars to open its doors down the road. A mayor struggles to equip his first responders after Wal-Mart pulls out and relocates just outside of city limits. A community unites, takes on the giant and wins!
Producer/director Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films take you on an extraordinary journey that will change the way you think, feel -- and shop.
Wal-Mart: The High Cost Of Low Price (2005) Movie Review:
There's a strong message in this documentary, but filmmaker Greenwald seems so angry at Wal-Mart that he misses the much more powerful, bigger picture. Still, in his attempt to paint a specific picture of one corporation, you've got to admit that he's thorough.
The film takes a jab at just about every aspect of Wal-Mart's community interaction, from low wages and discriminatory policies to environmental violations and third-world sweatshops. The filmmakers never make any attempt at objectivity--this isn't a fair documentary by any means. It's an all-out attack, complete with manipulative movie techniques (cue another piece of mood music) and one-sided arguments. Basically they take footage of Wal-Mart President Lee Scott's rah-rah speeches, about how wonderful the company is, and then counter everything he says with evidence that the true picture is completely the opposite.
Some of the footage is quite shocking, especially when the film focuses on the company's terrible employee record, paying below-poverty wages with limited health coverage and shockingly terrible treatment of women and minorities. But the filmmakers over-play their hand, piling on wrenchingly emotional footage, much of which is actually irrelevant to their argument (it's not Wal-Mart's fault that an employee has crying children or that a small-town motel goes out of business).
More damning is the way the company takes advantage of corporate law and lenient governments all over the world. Subsidies given in America actually undermine local-owned businesses, while working conditions are appalling in factories in China, Bangladesh and Honduras. These things aren't Wal-Mart's fault, but they are definitely taking advantage of them. And the Walton family won't like the way they come off as Scrooge-like misers.
Frankly, this is the nature of the corporate beast. In a society in which consumerism demands ever-lower prices and capitalism demands ever-higher profits, what can we expect besides this kind of thing? The fact is that yes, Wal-Mart is an irresponsible and often downright nasty corporation. And so are most mega-companies. But Greenwald never mentions anyone else, or the larger issues involved, and as a result the film merely feels like a ranting personal attack.
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Wal-Mart: The High Cost Of Low Price (2005) review written by: Rich Cline
7th September, 2008 
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