"The Corporation" has a lot to say about the state of Corporate America, which is why it takes the filmmakers nearly 2 1/2 hours to say it. However, asking movie audiences to sit through a film that long — especially when it's a documentary feature — is asking too much.
At times, the film starts to feel that long. So many ideas are thrown out that filmmakers Jennifer Abbott and Mark Achbar have difficulty tying them all together in the end.
That's unfortunate, since the film deserves to be seen, and its concepts deserve to be discussed in an open forum. And when it does score a hit, the movie is interesting and thought-provoking.
"The Corporation" examines the history of corporate law, noting that corporations were only allowed to exist in the United States because of the 14th Amendment (which was supposed to guarantee rights for blacks).
According to the film, corporate lawyers and executives have been using legal loopholes ever since to get away with murder, so to speak — by downsizing, as well as committing various acts of environmental destruction and human-rights violations.
To make their case, the filmmakers include snippets of interviews from such experts as Noam Chomsky, Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman and Michael Moore, whose film "The Big One" is used to indict Nike and its CEO, Phil Knight.
It's heady stuff. But narrator Mikela J. Mikael's monotone voiceover makes it feel tedious and adds nothing of substance.
Fortunately, the interviewees are more interesting. In fact, Ray Anderson, the head of a company trying to become more environmentally conscious, could have been the subject of another, better-structured film. His is a story that's worth going into deeper.
"The Corporation" is not rated but would probably receive a PG-13 for violence (footage of warfare, as well as some rioting), scattered use of strong profanity, and gory images. Running time: 145 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com