Born Rich was made in 2003, long before the fascination of rich people and dialogue on income inequality even began. This film is sure to bring up political controversy, but I don't even view it in a political sense: rather a human one. In the wide cast of wealthy heirs (of beautiful girls and awkward looking guys from New York City) interviewed, you get a different spectrum. All of them were spoiled rotten but some of them are respectful and others are arrogant and disdainful. Luke "I can buy your family" Weil is the obvious villain.It turns out that most of them didn't even know they were rich until they turned 18, as money was a subject their parents were reluctant to talk about. Does money buy happiness? I guess you'll find out. But like Ivanka Trump said, wealthy people are still people and they - while having an easier life - feel pain just like everyone else. Jamie's directing skills in his debut aren't anything special and it sometimes looks like a homemade film. But the content itself is good and that's what matters.
... View MoreThis was a subject that sounded so intriguing at first, but would have been better had a 'professional' come in from the outside and filmed a documentary, not Jamie Johnson who made what looks like a first year film students piece of work. His voice is torture to listen to and of course being the maker he has to narrate it...There was no one I found interesting in the slightest bit here because it felt like the heirs were in control telling the story. Again, someone from the outside should have come in to really get a sense of what effects being born rich has on them. Waste of time, this documentary. A real piece of crap.
... View MoreJust saw this film on DVD - several years after its release. Congratuations to Jamie Johnson for making the film and thank you to all the people who took part in it.My take on this film is a bit different than other reviewers. What I saw was a group of young people seeking to find their way in the world - just like everyone else. Of course some of them said less mature things - because that is what young adults do. If you took a group of young people from a different socio-economic background or let's say a typical college campus, you would still hear a range of issues about money, thoughts, obsessions, indulgences, etc., and certainly not all would be wise and mature. People are often still finding and defining themselves when they are so young. Obviously money isn't a magic bullet to make life easy, sleep well, or solve all of one's problems - but it's fascinating that money DOES enable hiring lawyers to sue your young friend rather than working through underlying issues.My final reflection on this film is that - if you live in the US - to realize that we are ALL like these kids. Just after seeing this movie, I happened to read a national geographic magazine describing insane poverty and desperation in a developing country ravaged by all sorts of problems. If you live in a western industrialized country, we are all so very wealthy compared to a lot of other people in the world in terms of how our income is many multiples of average salaries in other places. Should I splurge and buy a $3 coffee today? That is a week's salary in some countries. So, if you felt these kids are a bit sheltered from the reality that others may face, perhaps think again about the "norms" that we take for granted in our life. Thanks to Born Rich for addressing the tough, fascinating issue of money.
... View MoreI liked this movie. You have a lot of super-wealthy, early 20's kids pondering the unique position they perceive themselves to be in, and considering questions about their family, and their future, and their place in society. The people in the film think their dilemmas are unique because of the magnitude of their wealth, but the problems of "what should I do with my life?" are really quite universal and have a broader appeal. These kids are essentially normal people, who just happen to find themselves with gobs of inherited wealth. What would you become in such a situation? Having said that, I would argue that you, my reader, *are* in such a situation. If you're a first-world country resident reading this review over an Internet connection, you have more money than approximately 4 billion people. They would love to have the good fortune you take for granted. What you spend in a single trip to the store could feed a whole village of people. You could take your $30,000 in retirement savings right now to Vietnam (a country where 70+ million people live) and get by better than most without working another day in your life. In fact, this movie about the super-rich, is a movie about *you*.So you should pay attention if you find this movie's subject's ruminations offensive or ignorant. For what they lack in perspective, is exactly what we all lack in perspective.
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