Worst Threat to America

You know the ones — mega stars with non-stop action, all of those “how did they do that” special effects.

These bubblegum flicks, which have become the bread and butter of the movie industry, are not known for their heady content and storyline.

Hey, we’re Americans. It’s summer. Who wants to think?

I usually don’t make film recommendations.

But one entrant in this summer’s silver screen arm’s race has all the elements of a box office hit; action, intrigue, special effects and big names.

“I.O.U.S.A.,” directed by veteran documentarian Patrick Creadon, boldly examines our growing national debt and its consequences for our economy and individual citizens.

The film follows former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker (1998-2008) as he crisscrosses the country, trying to explain to citizens the looming peril of America’s multi-trillion dollar debt.

On the Warning Trail

As Comptroller General, Walker, a button-down CPA, ran the Government Accountability Office, the GAO, the non-partisan agency that audits the federal books and acts as an investigative arm of the U.S. Congress.

Walker, who recently appeared on “60 Minutes,” left his government post in March to bring his message and warning about the national debt to the public.

Walker approaches this otherwise dull topic with evangelical zeal and fervor.

As Walker told Steve Kroft during the CBS interview, "I would argue that the most serious threat to the United States is not someone hiding in a cave in Afghanistan or Pakistan but our own fiscal irresponsibility."

Although many commentators and news organizations have branded Walker as a Chicken Little, few quarters seem to disagree with his message of a coming economic Armageddon.

All Sides Represented

On his fiscal wake-up tour, Walker is joined by economists from the conservative Heritage Foundation, the left-leaning Brookings Institution and the non-partisan Concord Coalition.

The only real dissenters to Walker’s message seem to be a small minority of economists and politicians who argue that the U.S. can grow its way out of the problem.

In the film, Walker cajoles his detractors to “do the math.”

"Unfortunately they don't get it,” he says. “I don't know anybody who has done their homework, has researched history, and who’s good at math who would tell you that we can grow our way out of this problem."

Coming Soon

This film can be likened to Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” Instead of the planet, Walker warns that it’s our national solvency and security that are at risk.

So if you’re looking for a summer film that’s got it all, run, don’t walk to a theater near you.

Check your local listings. “I.O.U.S.A.” opens on 400 screens around the country on Thursday.