the audience applauded

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Almost everyone in the United States has to a certain extent, shop at Walmart, once in their life. So, many of them, heard of the many jokes and complains about the retail company retail-company, that owner Sam Walton have founded, and turn into a multibillion corporation. However, not a lot of people is unaware of full extent of the negative effects of its business practices on populations around the world. This documentary's job is to expose that. Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, while, I can understand, where director Robert Greenwald & his Brave New Films crew was trying to say with this film. I felt that the documentary's arguments wasn't really told, well. There is not one main narrator in this film, but rather countless amount of people interviewed, whom lives were affect from the presence of the corporate giant. Because of this, I felt that, the movie jump around, way too much. One minute, they would be, talking about how Walmart has a negative effect on mom and pop stores and small communities. Only to cut into how Walmart overworks & underpays its workers to the point, that many employees couldn't afford their own health insurance, causing many of the employees to seek government programs, like Medicaid instead. Only to further jump, how Wal-Mart hiring undocumented workers for their cleanup crews, paying them well below minimum wage, only to stop talking, about undocumented workers, and then back to employees, again, talking about Wal-Mart's anti-union practices, and its poor record on worker's rights in the United States. Then, back to the negative effects on local economy, follow up on a story about sweatshop workers, and then back to talking about Walmart, with this time, talking about crime. Where is the pattern, here? The informative felt a little too spread out & all over the place. They also missing some, like the allegations of predatory pricing and supplier issues. Anyways, I guess, the actual video clips of Walmart's commercials, combine with then-CEO's H. Lee Scott exalting the virtues of the company in employee meetings and speeches were supposed to be, the structure. However, it felt, more unarranged & confusing, then orderly. It doesn't help that the film's lousy quick editing, makes all of it, look so choppy. It's also sad, that the pacing is a bit off, because the film doesn't always immediate rip it apart through its style in branching into a particular perspective to back up the rebuttal. Instead, it goes on with some stories for a little too long. The International story about the sweatshops felt like, a different movie, because of that. Another bad thing about this movie is how much, they repeat themselves. You get a lot of repetitive rhetoric on how bad, Walmart is, for the employees, but never, any of the good things. In truth, Walmart isn't as evil as this film, makes it out to be. Honestly, if the movie did some fact checking, they would realize that Walmart does do charities, despite Sam Walton's claim that the company will never be a charity business. For example, in 2005, Walmart donated US$20 million in cash and merchandise for Hurricane Katrina relief. Today, Walmart's charitable donations approach US$1 billion each year. They also help pay for any environmental or criminal damages to any victim that came to their store. Added to that, the company was praised for expanding its anti-discrimination policy protecting gay and lesbian employees, as well, as minorities. Walmart also plays employees, a lot more, than the federal minimum wage at the time & continue to do that, even today. They also give bonuses to every full and part-time hourly worker, who works for their company. While, it's still low, it's better off, than other retail businesses like Mom & Pop stores. Also, while, it's true, that WalMart does have strong anti-union imperative within the company history. It did announced that it would allow workers at all of its Chinese factories to become members of trade unions, and that the company would work with the state-sanctioned All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) in helping workers' rights. So, it's possible that a US version of this, is on the way: despite claims that prices would skyrocket, if it did. About the Walmart's high understaff and turnover rate as evidence of an unhappy workforce, the truth is that, there are several other factors that lead up to that, besides outing anybody who wants to set up a union. Most of it, comes from the fact that American consumers habits are always shifting. More and more consumers are using online commerce, due to time and location. Then, there is the logistics issues, the supply and demand of the area, and population. Any of these factors, can cause the reductions in sales. Due to this, many retailers, including Walmart, reduce staff, or replace jobs with self-servicing machines. There is also the fact, that most Americans knows that blue collar jobs like retail is every so changing, that they just want to work, part-time for a quick buck, until they can gain the skills, through education for a more administrative setting job or for the elderly, have enough money to retired. About the claims that Walmart destroy small towns. In truth, any technology advances can hurt a town. Good examples are the development of the highway, railroads, and shopping malls. Call me, harsh, but small towns just have to adapt to the ever-changing market. If you need somebody to blame. Don't blame WalMart, blame the system in which, they triumph in. Wal-Mart's growth is the natural end result of capitalism, and demonizing Wal-Mart is unfair, when other successful businesses, does the same. Overall: It's hard for an objective viewer like myself to ignore the obvious. Walmart is a catch-22 situation. It's has good things and bad things about it. In all fairness, I just felt the documentary should reflect that, more.

**May contain spoilers!!Wal-mart: The High Cost of Low Price is a documentary produced in November of 2005 by Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films. Greenwald and Brave New Films take an extraordinarily biased approach that will make you feel, think, and probably shop differently. If you don't already know or understand what's wrong with Wal-mart, this documentary will without a doubt fill in the blanks. This documentary exposed Wal-Mart's unprincipled business practices through interviews with former employees and executives and small business owners of communities Wal-mart inhabited. The film leaps into the incredibly personal stories and everyday lives of families and communities struggling to fight an invasive giant. A working, single mother is forced to rely on government assistance to provide health care for her two children. A Missouri family loses its business after Wal-Mart receives over $2 million to open its doors down the road. A Chinese woman worker is forced to work in intense heat in Wal-mart factories for minimal pay. A mayor struggles to provide for his first responders after Wal-Mart leaves and relocates just outside the city limits. Hundreds of lawsuits take place each year against the retail giant. There is not one main narrator in this film, but rather countless people we interact with every day in our local hardware stores or family-owned grocery stores, which makes this documentary hit a little closer to home. Many people don't realize what is happening with Wal-mart and the negative impacts it's making, but the numerous narrators bring it to light. It's difficult to not be biased while watching this documentary. Real accounts by real people describe their difficulties and struggles because of Wal-mart's actions. For example, the documentary begins in a small town called Middlefield, Ohio. Long established, independently owned stores were nearly destroyed. The Hunter family, who opened H&H Hardware and has run it for many generations, was driven out of business because local people saw Wal-mart as a cheaper and more easily accessible outlet for goods. Wal-mart is a monopoly and no control has been legislated to protect free enterprise in these towns they takeover. Its strategy, supposedly, is to "crush the competition". Millions of dollars in tax abatements are given to Wal-mart to establish itself in a new location, but local owners seeking equal abatements are turned down. Cities are often between a rock and a hard place because if they don't provide Wal-mart with what they want, the company will simply pick up and leave said location leaving the town deserted. When Wal-mart leaves, it takes away key jobs that may not have existed before in the town.As many as 31 states have filed lawsuits against the Goliath for unfair employee practices, unpaid wages, and discriminatory accusations. Wal-mart is aggressively anti-union. At a minimal threat from unions, as described in the film, three managers were flown by jet immediately to the "problem store" and identified and fired specific employees pertaining to the nuisance. They would halt employee wages and blame its actions on the unions in the area. Wal- mart's employees, nearly 70% women, have been bombarded by discriminatory remarks from their managerial staff. A $1.6 million lawsuit has been filed against Wal-mart for its discrimination against women (Wal-mart). Different opinions and thoughts can be devised simply by the way a documentary is portrayed. Throughout this documentary, first hand accounts of experiences of employees, managers, and community members helped shape the biased directive for this film. Having these people narrate this documentary allowed audience to be more drawn in to the subject and be more in-tune to the real story of the film. In my own experience, it allowed me to closely relate a lot more to the people narrating this documentary. The film mostly entailed a narration by these people and also depictions of strikes and commercials that supported the problems these people faced with the Wal-mart Corporation. Being able to see these protests by the employees and "fake" commercials by this behemoth company gave even more of a reason to dislike it. If there was only one narrator in this film, I feel it would have been a lot more difficult to understand the reasoning behind it. By supplementing it with countless interviews and first-hand accounts, it gave the audience a bigger case against Wal-mart and more evidence of its wrongdoings. All in all, as easily seen by this documentary, Wal-mart is not what everyone may think about it. Wal-mart portrays itself in commercials as a stellar employer in employee treatment, community involvement, environmental protection, charitable offerings, and human rights. This is obviously not the case. As presented by these many narrators, Wal-mart is far from what they appear to be. Wal-mart may be beneficial to those who cannot afford higher priced clothes or food, but in the end it is hurting us more than helping. As a massive, hypothetical cycle, we buy, employees work, employees apply for government assistance, taxpayers pay this assistance, and Wal-mart gets richer every year. Wal-mart then proceeds to construct more and more stores, which need more and more employees and the cycle continues. This cycle will always continue so long as Wal-mart has this overwhelming power over these cities and its people.

If you watch this documentary with already some negative opinions about Walmart, this documentary will likely add fuel to your disdain and put you into the category of thinking that Walmart is indeed a huge "evil empire" retail giant who cares nothing for its employees or its effect on small towns and whose bottom line is their bottom line.But if, like me, you watched this with no pre-conceived negative or positive feelings about Walmart, you'll probably end up with more questions than answers. A few points, IMHO:--I kept thinking that most of the points could probably be made about *any* large ("big-box") retail store such as K-mart, Home Depot, Lowe's and so forth. I didn't learn anything that I considered was likely completely Walmart-specific.--About China working conditions. Yes, they suck. But Walmart is not unique in purchasing goods from China, and I'd bet that the number of consumers in the USA who have never purchased anything made in China is likely very close to 0%. That doesn't mean we shouldn't care about Chinese sweat shops, but other than making an effort not to buy things branded "made outside USA", what should USA consumers do?--About parking lots: well, I'd guess that Walmart is not the only large retail store that has had issues with parking lot crimes. We need better security in Walmart parking lots? OK--I agree; but most other parking lots probably could use better security too.I could go on and on, but *my* bottom line is that this story could apply to many retail giants, not just Walmart.If you don't like working conditions or pay at Walmart, then don't work there.If this documentary convinces you that Walmart is bad, then don't shop there.In the meantime, folks will keep shopping there and folks will keep working there and the world will go on.

Wal Mart: The High Cost of Low Price (2005) *** (out of 4) Interesting, if one sided, documentary about Wal Mart and how they're taking over the country. Like various Michael Moore documentaries, I think this thing would have been better with an unbias view and I wish the "other side" of things was shown. The documentary goes all out to paint an ugly picture and it does this wonderfully but there is another side that isn't being told. I was rather shocked at the benefit and hourly wages thing but a few other points I just didn't agree with, especially the "small company" going out of business deal. Hey, it is a marketplace. Why should I pay $25 to a mom and pop when I can get the item at say, Best Buy for $15? The opening story had the old man talking about all the poor in the city but was his store able to give them jobs? No but Wal Mart was able to. There are other questions I had about this matter but in the end I think this is a classic example of the rich versus the poor and as we know, nothing is going to change. The rich will continue to get rich while the poor continues to get poor. I think every company is guilty of this so it's not only this store that has things to change.