You’re absolutely right, Thom. Maxed Out aims to enlighten us all to the practices of financial institutions that have contributed to higher profits for them, while showcasing the so-called “middle class,” which is going deeper into debt and even facing financial ruin.

I would add that credit card companies have also been good at attracting new full-time college students to apply and receive their first credit cards. Company approaches can be very seductive.

What teenager wouldn’t want a T-shirt, mug, or bottle opener (which, fifteen years later, I still have)? These genuine “necessities” represent items that students won’t have to use their limited allowance to purchase. Why wouldn’t you just fill out a short form to get them free?

Here’s the thing: as a college student born in this country, you may be an expert in spending, but not so much in reimbursing or paying back. You’re an expert in buying what you need the second you need it, but not so much in saving. While you may have borrowed gas money from time to time to get around with your friends, the credit card companies do not accept cheeseburgers in return, so it stands to reason when a college student is given $5,000 or more to “spend,” it might be too much of a shock to wrap around the mindset that you will have to hand it all back to the bank, plus interest–on the bank’s terms.

This point brings us to what I consider the best feature of this DVD release, the special features. “Oh no, Alex,” you say. “I don’t watch the special features. They’re wasted space on the DVD that frankly I’ve never even used!”

I understand. Many times the special-features sections are filled with hours of behind-the-scenes outtake special effects that could interest only a third-year film student; however, while the film Maxed Out places the blame for our financial woes squarely on the shoulders of credit card companies, banks, and other lenders, the five special-features segments on this disk do a good job of starting us on the path of financial education, and more importantly, empowerment, and none are more than fifteen minutes long.

Starting with the uncut version of the movie opening, “The Wise Use of Credit,” viewers get a surprisingly clear introduction on how to be responsible with credit. You may have to look past some dated references such as “Men work, so women should understand finances,” whether empowering or sexist, you decide, but the basics of handling your finances don’t change. There is even a step-by-step plan of action by Dave Ramsey on personal responsibility and becoming debt free.

The special feature section is rounded out by commentary by Harvard Law professor Elizabeth Warren on bankruptcy, a call to action by Americans for Fairness in Lending, as well as a slightly biting analysis of the components of a basic credit report by David Szwak.

On the whole, to watch only the Maxed Out movie portion of the DVD would be getting half the value of the Cloud 19-produced disk that thoughtfully and poignantly showcases the problem of unfair lending practices. Watch the first half for entertainment and shock value; watch the other half for solutions.

 Alex France is a freelance writer and contributor to The First-Time HomeBuyer magazine. He can be reached at info@eotopublishing.com