Product Details

• Actors: David Walker (Peter G. Peterson Foundation), Bob Bixby (Concord Coalition)
• Directors: Patrick Creadon
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: PBS (DIRECT)
• DVD Release Date: April 7, 2009
• Run Time: 80 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001P9G3HE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,431 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "I.O.U.S.A." on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I.O.U.S.A accomplishes an amazing thing. It explains the national debt." --Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun Times

Product Description

America is on the brink of a financial meltdown. I.O.U.S.A. boldly examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States. Burdened with an ever-expanding government and military, increased international competition, overextended entitlement programs, and debts to foreign countries that are becoming impossible to honor, America must mend its spendthrift ways or face an economic disaster of epic proportions.

Over 125 minutes of bonus materials, including exclusive interviews with Warren Buffett, Alan Greenspan and others.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars an outstanding and informative film April 22, 2009

By Matthew G. Sherwin HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

I.O.U.S.A. educates people about the very real and very dangerous financial problems our government is facing. The producers of the film pull no punches here and they don't sugar-coat it; and that was the right thing to do. The way Americans live today is essentially "living for the moment" without thinking of the importance of saving money for a rainy day; and the film goes into great, great detail highlighting that the American government does the same. I will tell you just some of the points made by this movie; although it will seem as if I've given it all away I assure you that I haven't.

The film starts with cameramen asking people just how much they know about the federal deficit, the federal debt, the difference between the two and more. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people simply didn't know the answers to these questions. This is no laughing matter. These topics are highly relevant in these harsh economic times when America is at a true crossroads; the nonpartisan film shows that we and our government have to choose between spending and saving wisely or being reckless with our money as we have been.

In addition, the interview footage we get here is extraordinary. Peter Peterson contends that out biggest threat is our own financial turmoil, not terrorism (I would rank the two about equal, though). I also appreciated the footage with former Comptroller General Of The United States, David Walker. David Walker speaks in plain English about the dangers of America's national debt, the ballooning national trade deficit and the increasing budget deficit. David Walker and his colleagues including Robert Bixby, head of The Concord Coalition, go on "fiscal wakeup tours" that never make the news although they should have been reported. The statistics we also get along the way are presented neatly with graphs and charts that are easy to understand; the points being made are rather gloomy but all too true. These issues demand immediate attention.

The movie also contends that American financial problems have four primary sources: a budget deficit issue, a savings deficit issue, a trade deficit issue and a leadership issue. The film also deals with entitlement programs including Medicare. Just how all these come into play I will not go into here so that you can have plenty of new material to uncover when you watch this movie. There's quite a bit more interview footage in this movie.

The DVD also boasts some wonderful extra features including more talking with everyday people like me; and I especially liked the features entitled "Panel At The Premiere" and "More From Leading Economic Experts."

Overall, I.O.U.S.A. fascinates me and the issues are so critical that this film should be mandatory viewing for all Americans. The film was produced largely before the current economic crisis began but we still see some commentators predicting the house of cards could well fall. I highly recommend this film.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendously important film May 1, 2009

By The Actor

Format:DVD

This film is tremendously important and talks about a subject every American needs to know about: the looming debt crisis. Yes, everyone knows about the subprime loan crisis, but fewer know about (or are willing to acknowledge) the biggest subprime borrower of all: the U.S. government. Most people have a vague sense that something is wrong with the size of the national debt and the Federal deficits, but this movie really shows the full extent of the the problem.

This movie's primary message is that, unless something changes really quickly, there is another subprime crisis just waiting to happen: the national debt and the governments' unfunded liabilities (especially Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid) are ticking time bombs. In other words, if you're not worried yet, you should be; the movie effectively demonstrates that, unless these problems are acted on quickly, the next generation will almost certainly have a lower standard of living than the current generation.

This film is an extremely well-done, high-quality documentary that addresses a crucial issue. It also does an extremely good job of being non-partisan; the film deliberately avoids taking a position on issues like big government vs. small government, the welfare state, tax cuts, etc. It merely argues that we need to pay for the government we actually have; most people are trying to have their cake and eat it too in the sense that they want ever-increasing government benefits and ever-decreasing taxes. (Consider that Bush pushed through a large tax cut and then dramatically increased government spending).

I have been studying this issue for some time now and still learned a lot from this film; for example, one particularly interesting chart used in the film illustrated how most of the typical "solutions" to the problems that politicians propose (such as earmark reform, eliminating pork-barrel spending, ending the war in Iraq, etc.) are only a drop in the bucket in terms of the overall debt crisis the government is facing. The film deliberately avoids entering into the debate over the policies themselves (you won't find any discussion of whether or not we ought to end the war in Iraq, for example) but rather limits itself to discussing the implication of these policies for the budget.

I can't recommend this documentary enough. As a citizen, taxpayer, or voter (or future citizen, taxpayer, or voter) you owe it to yourself to see this film.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, simple and to the point explanation of the credit crisis February 20, 2009

By William E Donoghue

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I. O. U. S. A. is a wake up call from some of the government experts and policy consultants (not lobbyists) who have been warning the President for years about this coming crisis. Philanthropist Peter G. Peterson put $1 billion of his own money in this organization and hired America's Watchdog, GAO Comptroller General David Walker to head up the effort.
This movie is a "must watch." CNN ran a shorter version on a recent Sunday with several of the stars live.
This is real, it is disturbing and it is timeless. The government was already in serious debt BEFORE the credit crisis hit the fan. We won't get out of this easily nor will most investment advisors even address it.
I will bet your advisor sat you down to discuss your "risk tolerance" years ago and you agreed that you could stand a 10% short-term decline but that 20% would be troubling. In the past seven months the stock market fell 45% and no one called you and the market is about to fall further and you probably have not reallocated your portfolio to gold, silver and inverse or bear market funds. The losses are so bad your advisor doesn't want to discuss such a painful outcome with you.
Watch this film and you will understand that it is unlikely that you will see much of the money you had one or two years ago ever in your lifetime.
It's troubling for the government but it is tragic for you.
Bill Donoghue, Chairman, W. E. Donoghue & Co., Inc. Norwood Massachusetts