Inequality for All

Jacob Kornbluth's documentary Inequality for All explores the increasing income disparity in America, taking a cheeky tone and glorified PowerPoint approach that is colorful but tired. Fortunately, Kornbluth has an energetic and likable central figure in Robert Reich, the diminutive, longtime friend of former President Bill Clinton and the former labor secretary in his cabinet. Reich is predominantly an author and lecturer now, and the film is structured around his UC Berkeley class on wealth and poverty (cut to students nodding serenely at Reich's every word), while also wading delicately into his personal life. The film is not immune to the straw-man arguments endemic to advocacy documentaries, and occasionally employs clips from The Daily Show With Jon Stewart in place of salient points. Despite the blatant advocacy and hackneyed approach, though, Inequality for All pulls up the roots of an issue that should transcend political ideology.