I.O.U.S.A.

When former Comptroller General David Walker talks about how America is like Rome, living beyond its means and dooming itself accordingly, will anybody listen? You’ve got to hand it to director Patrick Creadon, formerly of the 2006 crossword-puzzle documentary Wordplay, for asking. Once you’ve handed it to him, call an economist, because you’ll need one (or several) of those, not a movie critic, to parse I.O.U.S.A. The film does seem very timely. It has talking heads and slick infographics. It is sort of like An Inconvenient Truth, except instead of the Environment, it’s the Economy (stupid), particularly our national debt and federal budget and trade deficits. But the infographics don’t clarify or contextualize enough and sometimes miss their own points. And when Creadon briefly follows Walker and Concord Coalition director Robert Bixby on their Fiscal Wake-Up Tour, it’s as if he’s trying on purpose to make the most boring road movie ever. If you’re worried about money, not seeing this film is one way to save some.