Product Details

• Directors: Edward Rosenstein, Roger Weisberg, Frances Reid (II), Pamela Harris (IV)
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Docurama
• DVD Release Date: September 26, 2006
• Run Time: 85 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000GG4Y0K
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,889 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Waging a Living" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Tender and eye-opening, WAGING A LIVING takes an unwavering look at America’s working poor--people who work hard and play by the rules but never seem to get ahead. Over three years, the film follows four hard-working individuals as they strive for their piece of the American Dream but find only low wages, dead end jobs, and a tattered safety net in their way. As they raise children, try to get a college degree, and take care of sick relatives, these working class heroes make you root for them to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Mixing stunning facts about poverty and social injustice with the personal testimony of real-life workers, two-time Academy Award-nominated director Roger Weisberg cuts through the fog of politics and prejudice to bring the disturbing reality of the working poor into the light of day. "A film with immense compassion and riveting drama" (San Francisco Weekly), WAGING A LIVING will anger, inspire, and rouse the soul. DVD Features: Bonus Film "Rosevelt’s America"; Filmmaker Interview; Filmmaker Biography; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a movie to be watched by everyone, January 22, 2008

By	Asish Lamichhane (united states) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

hard to believe but a truth. i couldnt first believe, america the world's superpower has such problems. i thought america still needs changes. changes in terms of living and waging; this is a great movie which aims to bring the change, and it should. so this movie is to be watched by everybody and be evaluated.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Working Poor, July 18, 2007

By	Jeffery Mingo (Homewood, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Conservatives promote that mess about "Work hard and all your economic problems will disappear!" This documentary focuses on four individuals who are working poor. They put in an honest day's work and spend money on their families, but still have problems making ends meet. This work exemplified how low-income people "take two steps forward and one step back." It was a struggle to watch this as life seems so unfair for this group.

It spoke of how many families are headed toward poverty because non-custodial fathers are not paying child support. It showed how a salary raise can lead to chopped governmental benefits which leaves families in a worse net position. It showed how a lack of health insurance can eat away a family's money when they have to pay for medicine out of pocket. It showed how credit cards can swallow needy families up. There were no repo men here, and maybe there should have been. You can't not pay services and companies without them coming after you at some point.

The work never speaks the terms "the feminization of poverty" or "the infantilization of poverty." However, while the man who is interviewed seemed like he was surviving and could one day thrive, things just seemed to get worse and worse for the single mothers with children. I was able to watch the man's story with no problems, but hearing about the women with children was very distressing to me.

The work interviews individuals on the two coasts. The East Coast and California are expensive! I don't want to render invisible the plight of the rural poor. However, I wonder if these low-income people and their families would have faired better in the South or Midwest. The man interviewed had children in North Carolina. Maybe if he moved there and got an agricultural job or another blue-collar job, he wouldn't have suffered as much as he did in mucho-pricey San Francisco. There's also the issue of weight. Two of the interviewees were BIG. Stress can cause weight gain. Still, I wonder if unsympathetic viewers would assume that the two spend too much on unhealthy foods.

This work could be used as a cautionary tale for youth who want to drop out of school. One boss tells a worker, "If only you were a real nurse, you could make good money." I imagine that these four didn't have college educations. A college degree used to be special, but now it's practically becoming mandatory. Blue-collar jobs are drying up in the US, so young folk gotta try to get those degrees! They could learn from the good people showcased here.

If you liked books like "No Shame in My Game" or "Getting By on the Minimum," you will like this.